Genetic Conservation and Importance of Ginger in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has conducive agro-ecology and is capable to produce various spices, including ginger. Spices research in Ethiopia with various limitations did a lot on ginger technology development and achieved significant results. Acquiring significant number of ginger accessions from domestic and foreign source, variety development, pre and postharvest management practices including protection parts are available. Ethiopians have high spices consumption culture and significant volume of ginger used locally and this can be considered as one of the opportunities. In addition to this, there is significant export of ginger and generating 22.6 million USD in 2008. Though there is such potential for production and export earnings, still there are lots of challenges that keep the performance of the commodity very low. The local grouping of the ginger materials, and the selection and release of two ginger cultivars from Jimma Agricultural Research center/Tepi Agricultural Research Sub Center, confirmed that the country has a high diversity of germplasm. This chapter reviews the ginger germplasm enhancement, conservation, variety development, status of ginger breeding, diversity of ginger, ginger tissue culture, ginger biotechnology.