Editing Teff (section)

===Challenges and prospects===
The major challenges in teff production are its low yield and high susceptibility to [[Lodging (agriculture)|lodging]]. Efforts to conventionally breed teff towards higher yields started in the 1950s and led to an average annual increase in yield of 0.8%.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Assefa|first1=K.|last2=Yu|first2=J.-K.|last3=Zeid|first3=M.|last4=Belay|first4=G.|last5=Tefera|first5=H.|last6=Sorrells|first6=M. E.|date=2011|title=Breeding tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) trotter]: conventional and molecular approaches|journal=Plant Breeding|language=en|volume=130|issue=1|pages=1–9|doi=10.1111/j.1439-0523.2010.01782.x|issn=1439-0523}}</ref> However, no considerable improvements concerning the susceptibility of lodging have been made, due mainly to low demand outside of [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]].{{Cn|date=June 2021}}

High-yielding varieties, such as ''Quencho'', were widely adopted by farmers in Ethiopia.<ref name=":0" /> [[Sequencing]] of the teff [[genome]] improved breeding,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cannarozzi|first1=Gina|last2=Plaza-Wüthrich|first2=Sonia|last3=Esfeld|first3=Korinna|last4=Larti|first4=Stéphanie|last5=Wilson|first5=Yi Song|last6=Girma|first6=Dejene|last7=de Castro|first7=Edouard|last8=Chanyalew|first8=Solomon|last9=Blösch|first9=Regula|last10=Farinelli|first10=Laurent|last11=Lyons|first11=Eric|date=2014-07-09|title=Genome and transcriptome sequencing identifies breeding targets in the orphan crop tef (Eragrostis tef)|journal=BMC Genomics|volume=15|issue=1|pages=581|doi=10.1186/1471-2164-15-581|issn=1471-2164|pmc=4119204|pmid=25007843 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and an [[ethyl methanesulphonate]] (EMS)-mutagenized population was then used to breed the first semi-dwarf lodging-tolerant teff line, called ''kegne''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jöst|first1=Moritz|last2=Esfeld|first2=Korinna|last3=Burian|first3=Agata|last4=Cannarozzi|first4=Gina|last5=Chanyalew|first5=Solomon|last6=Kuhlemeier|first6=Cris|last7=Assefa|first7=Kebebew|last8=Tadele|first8=Zerihun|date=2015-02-01|title=Semi-dwarfism and lodging tolerance in tef (Eragrostis tef) is linked to a mutation in the α-Tubulin 1 gene|url= |journal=Journal of Experimental Botany|language=en|volume=66|issue=3|pages=933–944|doi=10.1093/jxb/eru452|issn=0022-0957|pmc=4321551|pmid=25399019}}</ref> In 2015, researchers tested 28 new teff varieties and identified three promising lines that generated yields of up to 4.7 tonnes per ha.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jifar|first1=H.|last2=Tesfaye|first2=K.|last3=Tesfaye|first3=K.|last4=Assefa|first4=K.|last5=Chanyalew|first5=S.|last6=Tadele|first6=Z.|date=2017-01-01|title=Semi-dwarf tef lines for high seed yield and lodging tolerance in Central Ethiopia|journal=African Crop Science Journal|volume=25|issue=4|pages=419–439–439|doi=10.4314/acsj.v25i4.3|issn=2072-6589|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The "Teff Improvement Project" marked a milestone by releasing the first teff variety ''Tesfa'' to the Ethiopian markets in March 2017.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Cannarozzi|first1=Gina|last2=Chanyalew|first2=Solomon|last3=Assefa|first3=Kebebew|last4=Bekele|first4=Abate|last5=Blösch|first5=Regula|last6=Weichert|first6=Annett|last7=Klauser|first7=Dominik|last8=Plaza-Wüthrich|first8=Sonia|last9=Esfeld|first9=Korinna|last10=Jöst|first10=Moritz|last11=Rindisbacher|first11=Abiel|date=2018-01-23|title=Technology generation to dissemination: lessons learned from the tef improvement project|journal=Euphytica|language=en|volume=214|issue=2|pages=31|doi=10.1007/s10681-018-2115-5|issn=1573-5060|doi-access=free|hdl=20.500.11850/242165|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Areas of further development include: "(i) improving productivity of teff; (ii) overcoming the lodging malady; (iii) developing climate-smart and appropriate crop and [[soil management]] options; (iv) developing tolerance to abiotic stresses such as [[drought]] and soil acidity; (v) developing suitable pre- and post-harvest [[mechanization]] technologies suitable for [[smallholding|smallholder]] [[farmer]]s as well as commercial farms; (vi) [[food processing]] and [[nutrition]] aspects with special attention to the development of different food recipes and value-added products; (vii) developing [[crop protection]] measures against diseases, insect pests and weeds; and (viii) improving or strengthening [[Socioeconomics|socio-economics]] and agricultural extension services."<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Chanyalew|first1=Solomon|last2=Ferede|first2=Setotaw|last3=Damte|first3=Tebkew|last4=Fikre|first4=Tsion|last5=Genet|first5=Yazachew|last6=Kebede|first6=Worku|last7=Tolossa|first7=Kidist|last8=Tadele|first8=Zerihun|last9=Assefa|first9=Kebebew|date=2019-09-01|title=Significance and prospects of an orphan crop tef|journal=Planta|language=en|volume=250|issue=3|pages=753–767|doi=10.1007/s00425-019-03209-z|pmid=31222492|issn=1432-2048|doi-access=free}}</ref>