Teff

Teff is grown mainly for its grain, which is milled whole into flour for injera and other traditional foods, and increasingly marketed internationally as a gluten-free grain. Its straw is a valued livestock feed, and the crop is also grown purely as a fast-growing forage in some regions.

Because the grain is so small, seeding rates and threshing methods differ from those of larger-grained cereals, and much of the crop is still grown and processed using traditional smallholder methods.

Family

Poaceae (grass family)

Genus and species

Eragrostis tef

Growth habit

Tufted warm-season annual grass producing a loose panicle of very small grains, using C4 photosynthesis

Grain

Among the smallest of all cereal grains; milled whole and gluten-free

Teff was domesticated in the Ethiopian highlands, which remain by far the largest area of production and the center of its diversity. Cultivation for grain and forage has since spread to other countries, though it remains a minor crop globally.

Teff is a warm-season crop grown across a wide range of altitudes and moisture conditions in its Ethiopian home, from drought-prone lowlands to cooler highlands. It is sensitive to frost but tolerant of varied temperature and moisture regimes.

This adaptability, including the ability to grow under both moisture stress and periodic waterlogging, is a major reason for teff’s reliability as a staple crop.

Teff grows on a wide range of soils and is notably grown on the heavy black clay (vertisol) soils of the Ethiopian highlands, which are difficult for many crops, as well as on lighter loams. It tolerates both drought and temporary waterlogging better than many cereals.

Teff is usually established by broadcasting its very fine seed onto a well-prepared, firm seedbed, sometimes after several tillage passes to control weeds and create a fine tilth. The small seed and dense stand mean weed management and lodging control are recurring concerns.

• Fine, firm seedbed suited to the very small seed
• Seeding rate and method adapted to teff’s fine grain, often by broadcasting
• Weed management, since the crop competes weakly with weeds early on
• Attention to lodging, to which the fine-strawed crop is prone

Nitrogen strongly influences teff growth and yield but also increases the risk of lodging in this fine-strawed crop, so nutrient management balances yield against standing ability. Phosphorus supports early establishment on deficient soils.

Teff is grown predominantly under rain-fed conditions, where its tolerance of both moisture stress and waterlogging supports reliable production across variable seasons. Its relatively short cycle allows it to be sown when the season is well advanced.

Teff is affected by rust and by head smudge and other head and leaf diseases under favorable conditions, though it is generally regarded as a relatively hardy cereal. Lodging, while not a disease, is a major yield-limiting problem.

Insect pests include grasshoppers and armyworms that feed on foliage, along with aphids and other sap feeders. Management relies mainly on adapted varieties, timely planting, and field sanitation, with authorized controls used according to their labels where warranted.

Teff is harvested once the grain has matured and dried, traditionally by cutting the crop and threshing the fine grain, often by trampling by livestock on a threshing floor. The very small grain requires care to limit losses during threshing and cleaning.

• Whole-grain flour used to make the fermented flatbread injera and other traditional foods
• Marketed internationally as a gluten-free grain and flour
• Straw valued as livestock feed and, in construction, as a binder in traditional building
• Grown in some regions purely as a fast-establishing forage crop