OFRF Farmer-Led Trials: Evaluating Teff Accessions for Lodging Resistance and Performance at High Altitude
Kristin Swoszowski-Tran, Ledoux Grange
Farm Trial Overview
Ledoux Grange is a certified organic, 34-acre operation nestled at 7,400 feet in the mountains of Mora, New Mexico. Kristin Swoszowski-Tran, the farm’s owner, brings decades of plant expertise to her work, as she has been breeding Lilium species since the 1980s, with novel cultivars registered with the Royal Horticultural Society in Great Britain.
Kristin conducted an on-farm trial to evaluate 14 teff accessions: 12 of Ethiopian origin sourced from the Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, and two commercially available varieties, for their performance under the farm’s characteristically windy, high-altitude conditions.
The trial measured a range of traits including days to emergence, days to maturity, plant height, seed yield, and aboveground biomass. Significant differences among accessions were found for days to emergence, days to maturity, height, seed yield, and aboveground biomass. A strong negative correlation between days to maturity and seed yield (r = -0.8) emerged as the key finding: earlier-maturing accessions consistently produced greater seed yields.
For full details on the study’s methodology and results, check out the OFRF Farmer Led Trials Blog, or read the final report linked here.
Funding Amount
$1,500
Funding Year
2025Location
Mora, New Mexico
Collaborators
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Key Findings
- Early maturity is an important trait for seed production at this elevation. The strong negative correlation (r = -0.8) between days to maturity and seed yield was the most consistent finding of this trial. At 7,400 feet, the growing season is short and frost comes early. Accessions that mature in roughly 106 days, like PI 196851 and PI 494432, were able to complete their cycle and produce seed before conditions deteriorated.
- PI 196851 is the top candidate for seed production. This wild-collected Ethiopian accession from 1951 yielded nearly twice as much seed as the next-best accession, emerged quickly, matured early, and demonstrated strong field performance.
- The lodging question remains open since the unusually mild wind conditions in 2025 meant that lodging differences among accessions could not be fully characterized.
Region
West/Southwest
Topic
Cropping Systems, Plant Breeding, Varieties, and Seeds
Year Published
2026
