There is virtually no gluten in the grain, so teff cannot be made into leavened
bread. The pancake-like enjera is made by fermenting the flour and water mix for a
day or two, then baking the dough briefly in covered trays. Enjera is enriched with
vitamins by the yeast which arises from the short fermentation of the dough.
The seed has a good balance of essential amino acids except lysine ,it is very rich
in calcium (110 mg/100 g of edible portion) and iron (c. 90 mg/100 g), and contains
associated with their resistance to hookworm anaemia.
Another great advantage of teff is that its seed can be stored for several years
without losing much germination/viability if it is kept dry and well protected.
PLANTING
best on lighter, sandy soils. It is rarely fertilised, though Nitrogen and/or Phosphate
will normally produce an economic response. Fertiliser should be applied at sowing
time, but it can be top-dressed if this is not possible. Approximate applications are
130 kg/ha of DAP, plus about 35 kg/ha Urea on light soils and twice this amount on
black soils. Several combinations of other N/P fertilisers can also be used.
Seed rate: 10–15 kg/ha should be enough, because the plants can produce many
Seed viability: teff can be stored much longer than other cereals, and even in basic
traditional stores the seed can remain viable for at least two years.
Depth: very shallow, 20 mm max. Teff seed is normally broadcast by hand then
covered gently by using light branches or by driving animals over the seeded area.
Timing: depends on soil type, altitude, moisture, variety, etc but in general the later
(ie longer growing season) varieties are planted from May to early August, and the
earlier varieties in August and early September.
GROWTH CONDITIONS
Day length: short-day; moderately sensitive.
Growth period: 90–120 days for white seed varieties, 60–100 days for brown/red
varieties.
Rainfall: teff can survive with only 200–300 mm during its growing period if the
soil is retentive and the temperatures are not too high. Some very fast growing
varieties can produce some yield with only 250 mm.
Thus although it is more drought resistant than other cereals it is still vulnerable to
severe drought due to its rather shallow root system. The plants do not thrive when
rainfall is more than about 2500 mm.
Rotation: teff can be useful as a catch crop (1Gc), for example if a main crop fails.
In theory it is preferable to rotate teff with legumes and/or oilseeds, but in practice
many soils can and do produce teff continuously for many years. A typical 4 year
rotation is: pulse/ teff/teff (or other cereal) /pulse.
about 9% protein. The high iron intake of people who eat a lot of teff is often
–
and water retention.
tillers and in this way compensate for low plant populations. In practice, rates of
25 55 kg/ha are more usual. The seed rate is lower for soils that have higher fertility
GROWING FOOD – THE FOOD PRODUCTION HANDBOOK 141
Soil: teff adapts to a wide range of soils, including badly water logged ones, but grows