Understanding how land‐use types influence potassium (K) forms and soil physicochemical properties is crucial for sustainable soil management. Although soils in Ethiopia are derived from K‐rich parent materials, land‐use change alters K dynamics. Information on these variations is limited for the Shashemene district in southeastern Ethiopia. This study examined how cultivated land (CL), forest land (FL), grazing land (GL), and homestead land (HL) uses influence potassium forms and selected soil properties. A total of 32 composite samples were collected from two depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm), and 32 undisturbed cores were collected to analyze bulk density (BD) and soil moisture. The results show that the solution potassium ranged from 15.3 mg kg −1 in FL (the highest) to 13.3 mg kg −1 in CL (the lowest). Exchangeable K was also highest in the upper surface of FL and lowest in the upper surface of CL. Nonexchangeable potassium peaked at 600 mg kg −1 in the lower depth of FL and declined to 476.8 mg kg −1 in the upper depth of CL. Total potassium was greatest (17,103 mg kg −1 ) in the lower depth of FL and lowest (14,781 mg kg −1 ) in the upper depth of CL. The highest total nitrogen (TN) and organic carbon (OC) were observed in FL and HL. The lowest TN was found in CL at both upper and lower depths. In conclusion, different land‐use types significantly affect the forms of potassium and the selected soil properties.

This review evaluated the impact of community‐based breeding programs (CBBPs) on growth and reproductive performance traits of Ethiopian sheep breeds. A systematic search of articles published between 2000 and 2024 was conducted using PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL), CAB Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, and relevant grey literature and reports. All retrieved articles were managed using the Zotero reference manager. Of the total 51 articles identified, 22 met the predefined inclusion criteria and contained sufficient quantitative data for meta‐analysis were included in the analysis, while the remaining 29 articles were used for descriptive analysis to assess trends and provide qualitative support. Meta‐analysis indicated that CBBPs generally improved growth traits, with nonsignificant pooled increases of 0.41 kg (95% CI = −0.09, 0.92) in birth weight and 2.19 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.13, 4.51) in weaning weight and statistically significant improvements of 4.01 kg (95% CI = 1.15, 6.88) in 6‐month weight and 3.97 kg (95% CI = 0.54, 7.40) in yearling weight. Reproductive performance showed a significant improvement in litter size of 0.25 (95% CI = −0.00, 0.51). Descriptive analysis indicated a 7.58% increase in 6‐month weight and an 11.36% reduction of lambing interval (LI) under CBBPs. Overall, these findings underscore the significant role of CBBPs in sustainably enhancing the productivity of indigenous sheep breeds and improving livelihoods in resource‐limited settings. To maximize impact, female reproductive traits, particularly age at first lambing (AFL) and LI, should be included as key breeding objectives, and standardized performance recording system should be adopted across CBBPs to support scalable and sustainable breeding programs in Ethiopia.

Rice productivity varies substantially across rice varieties along with judicious nitrogenous fertilizer and weed management (WM) practices. At AFL, Bangladesh Agricultural University, we tested two cultivars of short‐duration drought‐tolerant T. aman (autumn) rice, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) dhan66 and BRRI dhan71, and how different integrated nutrient management (INM) and WM approaches influenced the yields of each. In NM, there were three approaches: N0 (no N); N sourced from PM:PU (50:50) [N1, 50NPMPU]; and N sourced from USG [100NUSG]. In WM, there were also three methods: no weeding (W0); herbicide (pre‐emergence type) [W1, WPP]; and hand weedings [W2, W2H]. Out of 14 infested weed species from eight families, Panikachu ( Monochoria vaginalis ) and Shama ( Echinochloa crusgalli ) were the most dominant. Weed density (WD) was highest in BRRI dhan66, which did not get any nitrogenous fertilizer at control, and lowest in BRRI dhan71, which had two manual weedings and N from USG. In addition, BRRI dhan66 was treated with Pretilachlor and USG‐sourced N exhibited the maximum (t ha −1 ) grain yield (GY) (5.54). In summary, using BRRI dhan66 rice with WPP and 100NUSG can effectively control weeds and increase the GY of short‐duration drought tolerant rice.

Root diseases caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli are major limiting factors for grain production of common beans in Brazil. The use of antagonistic bacteria can inhibit and reduce the incidence of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of co‐inoculating with Rhizobium tropici and Azospirillum brasilense on the severity of Fusarium wilt in five common bean cultivars. Three field experiments were conducted with five common bean cultivars (Pérola, BRS Estilo, BRS Notável, BRS FC402, and BRS FC104) and three nitrogen sources (coinoculation, nitrogen fertilization, and absolute control), arranged in a randomized complete block design with a 5 × 3 factorial arrangement and four replications. The inclusion of various N sources, such as mineral fertilizer and biological fixation, was crucial to understanding how nitrogen availability and form influence plant resistance, rhizosphere interactions, and grain yield (GY) under Fusarium pressure. Fusarium wilt severity was determined throughout the growth cycle, and GY was determined at physiological maturity. Pérola and BRS FC402 were more resistant to Fusarium wilt than BRS Estilo and BRS FC104. Coinoculation improved resistance by 5% compared to nitrogen fertilization and by 10% compared to the control. The coinoculated cultivars were capable of maintaining yields comparable to nitrogen fertilization. Thus, the severity of Fusarium wilt in common bean is influenced by a combination of cultivar resistance, nitrogen fertilization, and coinoculation of beneficial microorganisms that can provide GY similar to the N‐fertilized condition. In addition, the results demonstrate that coinoculation with Rhizobia and Azospirilla can reduce the severity of Fusarium wilt in common beans, suggesting an ecological and sustainable alternative to chemical control, while promoting plant growth and nitrogen fixation.

Wheat is the second most produced and consumed cereal crop globally. In Ethiopia, however, its national average yield (2.97 t/ha) remains far below potential levels due to factors such as limited access to improved varieties, prevalence of diseases, recurrent drought, and suboptimal management practices. Moreover, there is limited information available in the current study areas on the performance of durum wheat genotypes under both biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Therefore, a field trial was conducted to evaluate and identify durum wheat genotypes with high‐yielding potential, resistance to major wheat rust diseases, and to estimate the presence of genetic variability among durum wheat genotypes, which were received from the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation. The experiment was conducted in two farmers’ fields located in the Sodo Zuria (Kokate) and Damote Gale (Ade Koysha) districts of the Wolaita zone during the 2020 main cropping season. A total of 36 durum wheat materials that comprised 34 genotypes, along with two standard checks, were used. The treatments were laid out in a simple lattice design (6 × 6) with two replications. Analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant difference among the test materials for most of the traits measured, except above‐ground biomass (AGB), total number of tillers per plant (TTPP), productive tiller per plant (PTPP), spike length (SL), and number of spikelets per spike (NSPLS) at Ade Koysha and number of seeds per spike (NSPS), TTPP, PTPP, NSPLS, and leaf rust (LR) at Kokate. The mean square values for the combined analysis of variance showed significant differences ( p ≤ 0.05) among treatments for the traits measured, except for NSPS and TTPP. The genetic variability analysis showed that genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) ranged from 3% (days to maturity [DM]) to 53% (resistance to yellow rust), and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) ranged from 4% (DM) to 95% (resistance to yellow rust). Out of the 14 quantitative traits across locations, thousand seed weights (TSWs) (60%, 31%) and grain yield (GY) (82%, 98%) showed a high value of broad‐sense heritability and high genetic advances, respectively. From the combined data, the correlation coefficient of GY showed highly significant positive phenotypic and genotypic correlation with TSW (0.52, 0.63) and harvest index (HI) (0.87, 0.96), respectively. The cluster analysis grouped the 34 durum wheat genotypes and the two checks into five clusters. The maximum inter‐cluster distance was observed between clusters I and V ( D 2 = 39.72), followed by clusters II and III ( D 2 = 38.82), and the minimum value was observed between clusters I and III ( D 2 = 20.9). The first four principal component analyses contributed about 74.8℅ of the total variation. GY, HI, productive tillers per plant, AGB, and plant height (PH) were the major traits that contributed most to the variation. The current study identified accessions 213037, 222450, 214348, 214606, and 222482 as the top five high‐yielders, along with resistance to wheat rust diseases. The study revealed significant variation among the tested durum wheat genotypes in terms of growth, yield, and resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses. Several accessions exhibited superior performance in GY, drought tolerance, and disease resistance compared to the local checks. These promising genotypes demonstrated better adaptability to the agroecological conditions of the study areas, indicating their potential for further evaluation and possible release as improved varieties to enhance durum wheat production. Therefore, to increase durum wheat production for the research areas and comparable agroecologies, these accessions, despite not having been previously characterized, were chosen for confirmation through additional characterizations and evaluations.

In this study, the effect of crop rotation structure and cereal saturation on winter wheat productivity under semiarid conditions of Uzbekistan was analyzed. The research was conducted over a 20‐year period (2002–2022) at the Samarkand branch of the Research Institute of Agriculture and Agro‐Technologies. Ten rotation schemes were examined. The experiment included three‐field and four‐field short crop rotations with different levels of cereal saturation (33.3%–100%) and contrasting predecessor crops, including legumes, cereals, row crops, and bare fallow. Crop rotation systems with varying levels of cereal saturation and diverse precursor crops were investigated. Winter wheat yield data were statistically analyzed using one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s HSD test ( p < 0.05), allowing the assessment of both productivity and interannual yield stability under contrasting rotation systems. It was determined that rotations incorporating legumes significantly improved grain yield and marketable output. It was established that the highest yields were observed in four‐field rotations with chickpea as a precursor and full cereal saturation. It was revealed that continuous winter wheat cultivation resulted in the lowest yields due to soil fatigue and disease accumulation. Integration of legumes improved soil nitrogen availability and resilience to climatic stress. Diversified rotations provided better interannual yield stability. Optimizing rotation structure is critical for sustainable wheat production in arid environments. It was proposed that legume–cereal rotations with ≥ 75% cereal saturation represent a viable model for semiarid farming systems.

In Peru, cocoa production has increased significantly, thereby establishing a prominent position for this crop in the country’s agricultural landscape. The effect of different pregerminative methods on seed germination of cocoa ecotypes and their influence on seedling development in nursery were evaluated. Three cocoa ecotypes were used: INDES 24, INDES 31, and INDES 67, and five pregerminative methods were applied to the seeds: with mucilage, mucilage removal, tegument removal, water immersion, and immersion in Trichoderma harzianum solution. Parameters such as germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (GT 50 ), mean germination rate (GR 50 ), and plant growth characteristics in terms of cotyledon height, plant height, number of leaves per plant, and stem diameter were evaluated. The results revealed that the treatments INDES 24 + removal tegument, INDES 67 + removal tegument, INDES 67 + water immersion, and INDES 67 + immersion in T. harzianum showed the best GPs of 100% at 72 h. Additionally, the INDES 67 + tegument removal showed the best mean germination time and rate (GT 50 and GR 50 ) with 24 h and 8 seeds/24 h, respectively. For growth parameters, INDES 67 + mucilage removal showed the highest values for cotyledon height and the number of leaves per plant with 4 cm and 13.33 leaves/plant; for plant height and stem diameter, the treatments INDES 31 + tegument removal and INDES 24 + mucilage removal obtained the highest average values with 30.21 cm and 6.65 mm, respectively. These findings demonstrate that pregerminative methods significantly impact the germination and growth of cocoa plants. This insight can enhance cocoa propagation practices and improve the success rate of their establishment in the field.

The potato is crucial for food security among smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, but issues related to variety selection and fertilizer management often hinder its yield potential. A study conducted during the 2022 growing season in the Miarb Azernet district evaluated the performance of four potato varieties Local, Gera, Gudene, and Belete under different applications of nitrogen–phosphorus–sulfur (NPS) fertilizer rates (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg ha −1 ) using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The results revealed significant interactions between the potato varieties and NPS fertilizer applications, which affected key growth parameters and overall yield. The Belete variety showed outstanding results among the tested varieties when treated with 250 kg NPS ha −1 , resulting in a plant height of 97.85 cm, a marketable yield of 48.26 t ha −1 , a total yield of 49.68 t ha −1 , an average tuber weight of 75.44 g, and 46.21 tubers per hill. In contrast, the unfertilized Local variety yielded the least. Nutrient uptake and economic analysis indicated that applying 200 NPS kg ha −1 to the Belete variety resulted in the highest marginal yield of 79.1% and a significant net benefit of 693,740 ETB ha −1 . While these findings strongly support the use of Belete variety at 250 kg NPS ha −1 , further research is needed to validate these results and extend the recommendations to similar agroecological conditions and farming practices.

The objective of this study is to establish a system of indicators that enables the rapid collection of information to measure sustainability in basic grains production in the municipality of San Miguel (El Salvador), results that can be extrapolated to any rural community in Central America. We employed a mixed‐methods approach, engaging various sectors directly involved in basic grains production. During the fieldwork phase, data were collected using focus groups, interviews, and surveys in five farming communities where an international cooperation project is currently underway. The results indicate that, economically, crop yields, sales profits and labor requirements are low compared to national averages. On the social aspect, health services are located at least 5 km away, there is no access to potable water in homes, and farmers generally have low levels of formal education. Regarding the environmental aspect, farmers use chemicals that are harmful to human health and degrade the soil, and they lack irrigation systems that could increase the number of harvests per year and improve resource efficiency. In conclusion, these findings clearly demonstrate the low levels of social, economic and environmental sustainability in these communities and among their inhabitants.

Widespread food insecurity remains the major challenges in Ethiopia. Livelihood diversification is commonly accepted as the promising strategy to escape from food insecurity shocks. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the livelihood diversification strategies as a viable approach to overcome food insecurity in Gubalafto Woreda. The study employed a mixed research approach with a cross‐sectional survey research design. Combinations of purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select 190 sample households. Data were obtained through a household survey using a well‐structured questionnaire, focus group discussions (FDGs), and key informant interview (KII). Descriptive statistics, Simpson Diversity Index (SDI), and propensity score matching (PSM) were employed for data analysis. Findings revealed that 51% of the households had not diversified their livelihood. The SDI showed that the percentages of low, average, and high diversifiers were 8.9%, 16%, and 23%, respectively. The findings further showed that the PSM estimates, on average, diversified households had a 0.35 (4.8%) reduction in food insecurity values while their counterparts (nondiversified), on average, had a 1.39 (18.9%) rise in household food insecurity. The differences in food insecurity levels between nondiversified and diversified households are statistically significant at p < 0.01. This indicates that livelihood diversification significantly enhances food security for those households. Hence, government officials at various levels and nongovernment organizations shall give special attention to promoting off/nonfarm activities to increase income and reduce food insecurity of rural households.