Enset Production Research Articles

Impact of Climate Change on the Diversity and Distribution of Enset (<i>Ensete ventricosum</i> (<i>Welw</i>) <i>Cheesman</i>) in Ethiopia: A Review

The aim of this review paper is to review the impact of climate change on diversity and distribution of enset in Ethiopia and to suggest the gabs for future research. Climate change impacts will disproportionately affect sub-Saharan African countries such as Ethiopia because their economies are highly dependent on climate-sensitive activities such as rain-fed agriculture. In Ethiopia, climate change and associated extreme events are causing significant damage to life, property, natural resources and the economy by affecting climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture. Of the influence of climate change in Ethiopia crop species diversity and distribution is the current issue to deal with. Big genetic erosion and limitation of production of crops toward the high lands parts of the country in general and enset in particular is under way. Species distributions are determined by a range of different factors, among which climate is one of the most important ones. Climate change based distribution of enset is currently observed in Ethiopia. In some part of the country the enset production is shifting to the high land areas due to the changing climatic conditions. Some of the clones are struggling for tolerance of the changing environment, while others shift toward higher altitude; the others are unable to withstand the changing climatic condition and are enforced to die. Recent climate change has become one of the main drivers of shifts in the geographical distributions and diversity of enset species in Ethiopia. Therefore, urgent and appropriate actions are needed within various scenarios of climate change impacts on biodiversity and species distribution of enset.

Application of Genetic Engineering for Control of Bacterial Wilt Disease of Enset, Ethiopia's Sustainability Crop.

Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is one of the Ethiopia’s indigenous sustainability crops supporting the livelihoods of about 20 million people, mainly in the densely populated South and Southwestern parts of the country. Enset serves as a food security crop for humans, animal feed, and source of fiber for the producers. The production of enset has been constrained by plant pests, diseases, and abiotic factors. Among these constraints, bacterial wilt disease has been the most important limiting factor for enset production since its outbreak five decades ago. There is no known bacterial wilt disease resistant genetic material in the enset genetic pool to transfer this trait to susceptible enset varieties through conventional breeding. Moreover, the absence of effective chemicals against the disease has left farmers without means to combat bacterial wilt for decades. Genetic engineering has been the alternative approach to develop disease resistant plant materials in other crops where traditional breeding tools are ineffective. This review discusses enset cultivation and recent developments addressing the control of bacterial wilt disease in enset and related crops like banana to help design effective strategies.

Mapping the supply and demand of Enset crop to improve food security in Southern Ethiopia

Food security is a worldwide key issue in the context of climate change, requiring to plan local agriculture and make decisions. In order to proceed, it is essential to understand the value of ecosystem services provided by agricultural landscapes. Here, we quantified and mapped the supply and demand of an indigenous food, kocho (i.e., a bread made from starch derived from the Enset plant), in the Wabe River catchment of Gurage Mountains in Southern Ethiopia. To proceed, we measured the pseudostem and plant heights within 100 m2 sample plots of Enset farms. Enset home garden spatial features were extracted from satellite imagery, and a household questionnaire survey was administered along with population census data. We used suitable models to quantify the yield and demand of kocho, and the data were interpolated, analyzed, and mapped with the ArcGIS software. The results show that the average catchment-wide squeezed (moisture-removed) kocho yield is 16.2 kg/plant, which is equivalent to 417 tons/ha. The annual yield is 6500 kg/ha, and 4.5 million tons of kocho are available as standing stock. However, the spatial distribution of Enset production and its yield are not uniform in the catchment, and the largest stock is found in tepid moist and tepid humid agroecologies. The average demand of kocho per person is fulfilled by 16 Enset plants (i.e., 289 kg) with only 38% of households able to satisfy their demand from their own home garden. There is a high per capita kocho demand in warm sub-humid agroecological zones and a low demand in cool moist zones. While the supply-demand budget shows that there is a high supply of kocho in most areas, the demand is greater than the supply in 25% of the catchment. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that through quantification and mapping of the supply to demand of kocho, the Enset crop contributes to food security in the catchment and needs to improve its production as it is spatially not uniform. This study provides a data set for planners and decision-makers to enhance the production of kocho and to satisfy the current supply-demand gap.

Farmers\u2019 knowledge and perception of enset Xanthomonas wilt in southern Ethiopia

BackgroundEnset Xanthomonas wilt (EXW) was first reported in 1939 and continues to threaten the sustainability of farming systems in south and southwestern parts of Ethiopia. The present study was conducted in the central zones of southern Ethiopia to assess farmers’ knowledge and perception about EXW, its etiology and mode of transmission, and its implications for the management of EXW.MethodsA survey was conducted in 240 households across Hadiya, Kembata-Tembaro and Wolaita zones of southern Ethiopia using focus group discussions and a structured questionnaire to assess farmers’ perceptions of causes and modes of EXW transmission, and their knowledge on symptom identification. In addition, EXW prevalence, incidence and severity were determined for each zone. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics.ResultsThe results showed that a significant number of farmers are aware of EXW, its symptoms, etiology and transmission and spread, but they are not able to readily relate modes of spread to control methods. Since 2002, EXW became prominent in Hadiya, with the highest EXW incidence and severity, followed by Wolaita, and Kembata-Tembaro. Farmers identified EXW as the major cause for declining production and productivity of enset in the region.ConclusionEXW has spread widely and rapidly in southern Ethiopia, with significant socioeconomic impacts in smallholders’ livelihoods. There is a need for developing knowledge-based strategies and awareness-raising campaign for EXW management.

Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum: a major constraint to banana, plantain and enset production in central and east Africa over the past decade.

Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Order Xanthomonadales; Family Xanthomonadaceae; Genus Xanthomonas; currently classified as X. campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm). However, fatty acid methyl ester analysis and genetic and genomic evidence suggest that this pathogen is X. vasicola and resides in a separate pathovar. Xcm can be isolated on yeast extract peptone glucose agar (YPGA), cellobiose cephalexin agar and yeast extract tryptone sucrose agar (YTSA) complemented with 5-fluorouracil, cephalexin and cycloheximide to confer semi-selectivity. Xcm can also be identified using direct antigen coating enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAC-ELISA), species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using GspDm primers and lateral flow devices that detect latent infections. Causes Xanthomonas wilt on plants belonging to the Musaceae, primarily banana (Musa acuminata), plantain (M. acuminata × balbisiana) and enset (Ensete ventricosum). There is a high level of genetic homogeneity within Xcm, although genome sequencing has revealed two major sublineages. Yellowing and wilting of leaves, premature fruit ripening and dry rot, bacterial exudate from cut stems. Xcm has only been found in African countries, namely Burundi, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Xcm is transmitted by insects, bats, birds and farming implements. Long-distance dispersal of the pathogen is by the transportation of latently infected plants into new areas. The management of Xcm has relied on cultural practices that keep the pathogen population at tolerable levels. Biotechnology programmes have been successful in producing resistant banana plants. However, the deployment of such genetic material has not as yet been achieved in farmers' fields, and the sustainability of transgenic resistance remains to be addressed.

Culture and Psychological Responses to Environmental Shocks: Cultural Ecology of Sidama Impulsivity and Niche Construction in Southwest Ethiopia

Sidama people occupy a subsistence niche partitioned between traditional enset agropastoralism and transitional maize farming. Enset production is low risk and requires multiple years for cultivation and processing. Maize farming is high risk and high yield, requiring one growing season from planting to harvest. Contrasting enset and maize farming, we examine effects of crop loss and social shocks on Sidama impulsivity. We argue that impulsivity is a psychological process that is differentially activated by environmental shocks in the stable, traditional enset regime and unstable, transitional maize regime. Using a robust psychometric model derived from Barratt impulsiveness scale items, we demonstrate two dimensions of Sidama impulsivity: careful control (CC) and acts without thinking (AWT). Both dimensions are associated with environmental shocks, but the associations are moderated by social-ecological regimes. In the enset regime, effects of shocks on impulsivity are muted. However, increased impulsivi...

Enset (Ensete Ventricosum) Production in Ethiopia: Its Nutritional and Socio-Cultural Values

Enset is a perennial root crop indigenous to Ethiopia cultivated dominantly in the south and southwestern highlands. There are several enset varieties or clones mainly produced for their starch from the pseudostem while some are exclusively cultivated for their corm. Kocho, bulla, and corm (amicho) are the main food products of enset. We studied the nutritional, socio-economic, and cultural values of this crop. The corm (Neqaqa) was found to be more nutritious than bulla (Gena) except in starch and zinc contents. Enset is rich in starch but low in protein composition hence, dietary protein source is mandatory. It plays great role in the food security of the country and a staple food for significant Ethiopian population. It has several environmental, nutritional, and socio-cultural importance however its cultivation is under disease challenges. Continuous research effort is required to improve the production of enset and its food products and fiber processing.

English

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) production and productivity is threatened by many biotic and abiotic factors among which bacterial wilt of enset (BWE), caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum is one of the major factors. There were no reports on the intensity and distribution of bacterial wilt of enset in South Nation Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPRS). Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the distribution and incidence of bacterial wilt of enset in relation to age, altitude and clonal variation in major enset growing districts of South Nation Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPRS). Three major enset growing Zones namely Gurage, Hadiya and Sidama were included in the survey. In each Zone, three Districts were selected based on enset production status and altitudinal variation. The disease was detected in all agro ecologies and districts, but in varying extent. Bacterial wilt prevalence and incidence was highest in Hadiya and estimated at 42.22 and 5.56%, respectively, while both disease prevalence and incidence were the lowest (26.67 and 2.86%, respectively) in Sidama. At District level wilt prevalence varied from 6.67% at Aletachiko District to 76.67% at Lemo District. Bacterial wilt incidence also ranged from 0.74% at Aletachiko District to 10.31% at Lemo District. Wilt prevalence and incidence were at the highest (50% and 5.81%, respectively) in the altitude range of 2000-2500 masl. The disease varied according to the crop growth stage, with severe (4.75%) in Cycle 4 (an age greater than 4) and less severe (0.2%) at Cycle 1 (age of less than one year). Highest disease incidence and prevalence (30 and 6.65%) were noted with a plant age of 4-5 years. The disease was highly associated with administrative Zone, District, altitude, number of clones and spacing in a logistic regression model.   Key words: Bacterial wilt of enset, wilt incidence, wilt prevalence, South Nation Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPRS), enset clones

English

and banana plants since the first record in Keffa province in Southwest Ethiopia as early as the 1960s. The disease remains a dominant constraint to enset production although its impact on banana has declined over the past four decades. The disease is ravaging banana plantations and spreading at alarming rates since its recent outbreak in other east and central African countries, including Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. Enset wilt management strategies such as sanitation have been recommended although it is tedious for farmers to apply them for various reasons. The efforts to develop enset clones tolerant/resistant to Xcm strains have not been efficient for inconsistent reactions/performance of the selected materials, mainly attributed to variations in the bacterial isolates used across the studies. Thus, it is important to determine ranges of variation within the pathogen and host populations for developing resistant varieties and further breeding work. The objectives of this study were to collect and characterize Xcm strains from enset and banana plants in three major enset growing zones of Southwest Ethiopia and determine host-pathogen interactions. Nineteen (19) Xcm strains were selected from a total of 72 isolates collected from leaf petioles of enset and banana plants infected with bacterial wilt in six districts of Sheka, Keffa and Bench-Maji zones. The bacterial strains were typically creamy to yellow mucoid, circular with dome-shaped colonies. The strains were Gram-negative, KOH and catalase positive, suppressed on asparagine medium and negative for nitrate reduction; most isolates (84.2%) were insensitive to 2% NaCl while few strains (15.8%) were retarded by 1% NaCl concentration. All the strains were positive to hypersensitivity test with reaction varying from chlorosis to necrosis on tobacco leaves. Six enset and two banana strains of Xcm were pathogenic to the susceptible enset ‘Yeko’ and banana ‘Butuza’ (AAA) clones. The banana strains induced typical bacterial wilting symptoms on both hosts that ultimately led to complete death (100%). The host-pathogen interaction evidenced differences mostly among the enset clones in their resistance/tolerance and variation in aggressiveness (virulence) between the bacterial strains. The enset clones ‘Nobo’ and ‘Gudiro’ were consistently resistant while ‘Yeko’ was highly susceptible to the three Xcm strains, namely: Xcme-9, Xcme-10 and Xcme-19, whereas ‘Chikaro’ was moderately tolerant to two strains (Xcme-10 and Xcme-19) but most susceptible to strain Xcm9. The strains were less or non-aggressive to the resistant clones ‘Nobo’ and ‘Gudiro’ but most aggressive on the susceptible plants while ranges of aggressiveness were demonstrated on ‘Chikaro’.   Key words: Banana, Ensete ventricosum, enset bacterial wilt, Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum, Ethiopia.

Impact of perennial cash croppin on food crop productivity.

The argument for promoting cash crops in developing countries has generally been based on their contribution to small farmer incomes and their impact on other household activities such as household crop production through interlinked markets. While these arguments are supported by some empirical results, there is little information on the impacts cash cropping can have on these household activities in the absence of interlinked markets. In addition, the impacts of cash cropping may depend on the types of cash crops studied, time and place. Perennial cash crops (PCC) can relax household liquidity constraints for purchasing productive inputs, maintain soil fertility and moisture and save inputs such as seeds and draft power, which can be used for food crop production even in the absence of arrangements for interlinked markets. In this study we build on previous studies by developing key hypotheses by which PCC (Chat, coffee and sugarcane) affect food crop production and the implication for household food security. In addition, we look at the link between perennial food crop, enset (Ensette venttricosum), and other annual food crops. We empirically measure these effects using survey data on 150 rural households collected in 1999 in Ethiopia. Our results indicate that-after controlling for conventional inputs, household wealth variables, education and other variables, higher chat (Catta edulis) production is associated with reduced value of food crop yields and total value of food crop production. On the other hand, higher sugarcane production is correlated with higher value of total food crop production and productivity. Moreover, more intensive coffee production is associated with more intensive enset production. However, production of coffee and enset do not have significant effects on food crop production and productivity. These results suggest that while farmers can gain from sugarcane production through cash income and its impact on food crops, coffee and enset can be produced to bring additional income to the household at no significant cost to food crops. The real impact of chat on the welfare of households should be viewed in terms of its opportunity costs and its contribution to household income. Keywords: Ethiopia, Cash crops, Food crops, Productivity, Enset.

Influence of repetitive transplanting and leaf pruning on dry matter and food production of enset ( Enseteventricosum Welw. (Cheesman))

Crop establishment methods affected the growth, dry matter production and distribution in enset ( Ensete ventricosum) plants studied at the Areka Research Centre, North Omo, Southern Ethiopia. Enset suckers transplanted only once (i.e. directly into permanent fields) flowered at about 104 weeks; flowering triggered plant senescence and shifted assimilate partitioning towards the developing inflorescence. Enset plants transplanted twice flowered at about 234 weeks, and those transplanted thrice flowered within 260 weeks. At the end of the experiment, dry matter yields per plant (excluding roots) were higher for plants transplanted twice than for plants transplanted once or thrice. At 104 weeks after separating the suckers from the corm, the production per ha and per year for transplanting once was 148 and 25% of ‘kocho’ dry matter more than for transplanting twice or thrice, respectively. However, at 130 weeks after separating suckers from the corm, production of dry matter of fermented kocho per ha and year were not significantly different for plants transplanted once or twice. The dry matter loss during the fermentation process ranged from 41 to 57%. Repetitive partial defoliation by removing four to five lower leaves at 6-month intervals did not affect the rate of progress from planting to flowering or the fresh and dry matter production rates of kocho after 104 weeks (before fermentation) after first transplanting. Later during the growth period, however, continued leaf pruning significantly reduced dry matter production rate of kocho (before fermentation). At both dates, leaf pruning effects were significant for values after fermentation. Transplanting suckers directly into permanent fields may be practised to obtain early yields and overcome disease problems. More frequent transplanting often delays flowering and results in higher yields per plant. To practise this method, however, suitable cropping systems and techniques need to be established that allow farmers to have enset plants at different developmental stages in order to have enough mature enset plants that can be harvested for food every year.