Production In Ethiopia Research Articles

Analysis of Determinants of Economic Efficiency in Honey Production in Horo Guduru Zone, Ethiopia: Stochastic Dual Cost Frontier Model Approach

Honey production is generating employment and source of income in the rural area of Ethiopia. However, its productivity was low. The objective of this study was to measure the economic efficiency of honey production in Ethiopia’s Horo Guduru Wollega Zone and their limiting factors. To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the study employed a survey methodology using a structured questionnaire tool, and the data were collected from 396 households. Both descriptive and econometric data analysis methods are employed. Dual cost was used to measure the levels of economic efficiency and the Tobit model to identify the determinants of economic efficiency in the study area. In this regard, the analysis relied on a cross-sectional data collected from 396 sample farm households. The mean economic efficiency was 44%. This demonstrates that the farmers in the study area have to decrease production cost by 56% to achieve 100% economic efficiency level. From the determinants of economic efficiency family size, extension services, training, beekeeping experience, and family size are significant technical efficiency variables for honey producers. The study suggests policies to address economic inefficiencies by increasing the number of hives, extending the best performers’ experience by increasing the frequency of extension contacts on honey production, facilitating and expanding credit service in the study area, making bee forage access simple, and increasing forest coverage on the land area in line with the current policy of Ethiopia. Additionally, since farmers in the study area spend their time guarding the honey from damage by ants and monkeys, labor that utilizes technology must be made available in the study area.

Role of vermicomposting for smallholder farmers in wondo-genet woreda, Sidama region, Ethiopia: a success story

Both organic and chemical fertilizers play a vital role in enhancing crop productivity and maintaining soil health. However, inflated prices of chemical fertilizers also reduced their rate of application, hence, reducing crop productivity in Ethiopia. Therefore, to sustain the productivity of lands and crops, there is an urgent need to promote the use of organic fertilizers. Vermicomposting is one method of preparing enriched compost with the use of earthworms. With the support of the second phase of the Agricultural Growth Program (AGP-II), the introduction and promotion of vermicomposting technology were conducted. However, the production status and role of vermicomposting for smallholder farmers in the area are unclear. Therefore documenting the achievement and progress of vermicomposting is necessary. Both primary and secondary data (2018-2021) were collected by using snowball sampling techniques. The descriptive statistics reveal that in addition to potato production, farmers are using vermicompost for chat, enset, coffee, forage and vegetable production. Accordingly, the production, utilization, and sale trend of vermicompost increased from 2018 to 2021. In addition, vermicomposting created an opportunity for farmers to participate in earthworms and vermicompost selling. Due to this, those who had vermicompost in their home garden do not use inorganic fertilizers for any crop production during the last four years. In addition, the average cultivated cropland coverage by vermicompost-based production also increased from 2018 to 2021. Its preparation procedure is also consistent with the manual provided to them. Therefore expanding vermicomposting technology in the area has the potential to enhance sustainable crop and land productivity. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 12(2): 88-95, December 2022

Evaluation of bacteriological profile of meat contact surfaces, handling practices of raw meat and its associated factors in butcher shops of Arba Minch town, southern Ethiopia-A facility based cross sectional study

BackgroundMeat is subjected to contamination from a range of sources throughout animal slaughter and its sale. The demand for meat products in Ethiopia has been increased dramatically; especially the consumption of fresh chilled meat becomes a status of symbol.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the bacteriological profile of meat contact surfaces, raw meat handling practices, and its associated factors in butcher shops located in Arba Minch town, southern Ethiopia.Methods and MaterialsA facility-based cross-sectional study was carried out among meat handlers in butcher shops in Arba Minch town from November to December 2020. A pre-tested and semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data on workers meat handling practices and the sterile swab was used to collect samples from selected meat contact surfaces for bacteriological analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for data analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was utilized to assess the presence and degree of association between raw meat handling practice and independent variables. Adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval at P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Result and ConclusionThis study revealed the knowledge and handling practice gap among meat handlers of butcher shops. Knowledge of food handling hygiene has shown significant association with handling practice [AOR = 4.5 (1.182,17.202)]. The median total viable count of bacterial loads from the swab samples of butchers’ hands, knives, and the tables was 5.60 ± 0.80, 5.60 ± 1.00, 5.70 ± 1.00 log10 Colony-forming unit (CFU)/cm2, respectively. Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate 34(68%) followed by Staphylococcus species 28(56%) and Salmonella species 19(38%). The median total bacterial load obtained from the samples exceeds the acceptable value of less than 5.0 log10 CFU/cm2 on fresh meat. This indicates the need for improvement in the meat handling and processing chain to safeguard the public health against the risks of foodborne bacterial infections.

Potato bacterial wilt in Ethiopia: history, current status, and future perspectives.

Potato is an essential food staple and a critical tuber crop for rural livelihoods in Ethiopia, where many pathogenic pests are threatening production. Bacterial wilt, also known as brown rot of potato, ranks among the diseases that most affect many potato farmers in Ethiopia and the disease losses dramatically threatening the vibrant potato sector even in the highlands of the country where it has been uncommon so far. To devise a strategy towards boosting potato productivity in Ethiopia where food insecurity is most prevalent, production constraints should be investigated and properly addressed. Hence, we have used existing reviews and reports on the subjects, such as textbooks, and proceeding and conference abstracts in Plant Protection Society of Ethiopia; Web of Science; Google Scholar; Research Gate and CIP's database to document most relevant information on the occurrence, distribution, and disease management of bacterial wilt in Ethiopia. Provision of comprehensive information on potato bacterial wilt occurrence, distribution, and management techniques are crucial for potato growers, researchers and stakeholders engaged on potato industry. In this review, we provided insights on the history, status, and future perspectives of potato bacterial wilt in Ethiopia. Awareness of potato bacterial wilt and integrated disease management approaches could bring a fundamental impact to the farming community mostly to smallholder farmers in developing countries. This document compiled such imperative information targeting bacterial wilt management techniques to ensure food security.

Effect of Integrated Use of Lime and Vermicompost on Faba Bean Productivity and Selected Chemical Properties of the Soil in Acid Prone Areas of Ethiopia

Soil acidity is one of land degradation problem that reduces land’s ability to provide ecosystem services which has stayed as an eminent problem limiting crop production and productivity in Ethiopia. To counteract this problem sustainably, development of regenerative agricultural strategy that aimed not simply at sustaining the current state of soils and ecology, rather at enhancing an array of different schemes such as conservation agriculture, integrated soil fertility management technology comprising inorganic and organic soil amendment and others are substantial. On-station experiment were conducted at Damotu FTC for three consecutive cropping seasons (2019, 2020 and 2021) to examine the integrated use of lime and vermicompost on faba bean productivity and the soil chemical properties. Two rates of lime (2.6 t ha-1 and 1.3 t ha-1), two level of vermicompost (4.6 t ha-1and 2.3 t ha-1 ) and two rates of NP fertilizer (46 N/18 P2 O5 and 23 N/9 P2 O5 )were combined systematically along with one control and standard check arranged in RCB design with three replications.. Three years mean result showed that a significantly highest number of pod per plant (13) were recorded from the combined use of 2.3 t ha-1 of vermicompost, 1.3 t ha-1 of lime and 46 N/18 P2 O5 . The trend is quite similar in biomass production and seed yield of faba bean where a significantly higher yield of grain (2.95 t ha-1) was obtained from the same input combination which outscored the control treatment by more than 100%. The soil analysis results revealed that soil pH increased from 5.19 (strongly acidic) to 6.21 (slightly acidic), while exchangeable acidity decreased from 1.7 to 0.13 cmol kg-1 under combined application of 4.6 t ha-1 of vermicompost and 2.6 t ha-1 of lime without the use of NP fertilizer. Higher values of TN and Av.P was obtained from the application of 2.3 t ha-1 of vermicompost and 2.6 t ha-1 of lime along with recommended NP fertilizer. The result of this investigation suggested that the integrated use of lime and vermicompost along with sub-optimal application rates of chemical NP fertilizer could increase faba bean yield significantly and improve soil chemical properties in acidic soil condition.

Impact of Macroeconomic Factors on Manufacturing Productivity in Ethiopia

This study examines the main impacts of macroeconomic factors on manufacturing productivity in Ethiopia using a time series analysis from 1980 to 2020. The study reveals short-term and long-term determinants of manufacturing industry development. The Ethiopian manufacturing sector was able to achieve a vast change in value-added, especially between 1999 and 2020. However, from 1980 to 1999, the growth rate was erratic and slow, and around 1995 it recorded its worst performance. In the short term, the vector error correction model (VECM) results show that the first lag of manufacturing value added and real interest rates greatly impact manufacturing productivity, but other variables have no short-term impact. In the long run, variables such as the balance of payments, external debt, and real interest rates contribute to the positive development of the manufacturing sector, while other variables such as the exchange rate, monetary sector credit, and broad money balance affect manufacturing sector productivity negatively. Therefore, the Ethiopian government should pay due attention to improving the sector. Although the government is making great efforts to establish various industrial parks in the country, it lacks policies and subsidies for specific manufacturing sectors that can produce necessities. As the level of inflation and cost of living in the country intensify, targeting and prioritizing the manufacturing sector's production and productivity will be the best and most recommended solution so far. Keywords: Macroeconomic, Productivity and Manufacturing. DOI: 10.7176/IKM/13-1-02 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria, Forskl) distribution, biology, management and its impact on agricultural production in Ethiopia: A review

Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria, Forskl) is considered to be one of the most serious pests that cause a devastating amount of damage to crops and other agricultural products during the invasion. It is considered as the most dangerous migratory pest among the locust species because of its ability to reproduce rapidly, migrate long distances and devastate crops. Desert Locust has the largest distribution area, which extends from West Africa through the Middle East to East Asia. Eastern Africa has seen an upsurge of Desert locusts, spreading across several countries at rates not seen in decades. The consequences of Desert locust invasions can be disastrous for both the food security and livelihoods of the rural populations in affected areas. The invasions can result in the abandoning of crops and rural migrations. Damage can be considerable on all types of crops: annual rain-fed crops as well as perennial crops, tree cultivation, and irrigated crops which are even more sensitive since they are exposed throughout the year. Desert locusts invaded major areas in the Somali, Afar, Oromiya, Tigray and Amhara regions of Ethiopia regularly. The swarms of Desert locust also moved south across the Shebelle River in southeastern Ethiopia into the Juba River basin. Despite the recent and further possible Desert locust invasion in Ethiopia, there are no more systematic reviews conducted to assess the details on the invasion, impact on crop production and its possible control measures. Therefore the objective of this review is to highlight the invasion, Ecology, Biology, impact on crop production and control measures of Desert locusts.

Development of a coffee wilt disease identification model using deep learning

Coffee, commonly known as Coffee Arabica, is Ethiopia's most significant beverage. Coffee production in Ethiopia is affected by a number of abiotic and biotic factors, the most prominent of which are diseases caused by a range of etiologic agents, especially fungus. A multitude of diseases harm the stems, leaves, fruits, and roots of the crop, lowering its yield and marketability. Ethiopia was the first place where the Fusarium wilt disease on Coffee Arabica was discovered. In this study, a deep learning method for the automatic detection of coffee wilt disease is proposed. The investigation was carried out in three stages. First, we collected images of healthy and diseased coffee. Secondly, we developed a convolutional neural network (CNN) that can tell the difference between healthy images and images of infected/diseased coffee leaves. Finally, we tuned the dataset to train and test the developed model. For the purpose of experimentation, we collected 4000 images of healthy and infected coffee leaves. 80% of the obtained dataset was utilized to train the model, while the remaining 20% is randomly picked to test the CNN model. The suggested model efficiently grouped the input image with a mean training accuracy of 98.1% and a mean test accuracy of 97.9% as a result of experimentation using a learning rate of 0.0001, a Sigmoid output layer activation function, 100 epochs, and an 8:2 training and testing dataset ratio.

Poultry Production Status, Major Constraints, and Future Prospective

Poultry production is a sector of livestock production to gain meat, egg, and other products from domesticated bird species, including chickens, ostriches, turkeys, ducks, and guinea fowls. Poultry production is different from country to country due to different economic activities, environmental situations, and cultural aspects of society. With this in mind, the current study aimed to review the literature to explore the current status of poultry production, highlight the constraints in poultry production, and predict the future of poultry production. In many societies, poultry plays an important socio-cultural role. Diseases, market problems, feed resources, lack of proper housing, predators, as well as social and cultural constraints are all obstacles to the future growth of the poultry industry. Despite the presence of a large chicken population in Ethiopia, contribution to the national economy or benefit exploited is very limited due to diseases, predators, and veterinary services. The main diseases affecting the chickens in Ethiopia include viral disease (Newcastle disease), gastrointestinal parasites, ectoparasites, aspergillosis, and different bacterial infections due to lack of biosecurity. In addition, chicken predators affecting poultry production in Ethiopia are wild mammals locally called ama, cats, and birds (vultures). However, the poultry production system has a bright future since different local and international humanitarian organizations have recognized that addressing this sector will benefit the poorest and most disadvantaged people in developing nations. With the need to increase animal protein sources in the world, there is general agreement that these areas are going to witness further expansion in the current decades. Therefore, it is recommended to increase productivity through improvements in health, management, and control of predators.

Improved Forage Crops Research and Development in Ethiopia: Major Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward

Feed shortage has been the persistent problem hampering livestock production and productivity in Ethiopia. The conventionally available feed resources (natural pasture and crop residues) are not only limited in quantity but also inferior in quality and cannot meet even the maintenance requirement of the country`s livestock resources. Hence, improvement in livestock production and productivity is unthinkable without intensification in feed production using other complementary feed resources in addition to the existing ones. Improved forage crops have untapped potential to resolve the feed shortage problem and lay down the basis for intensification of livestock production if properly promoted, adopted and utilized in the farming systems. This review paper provides an overview of improved/cultivated forage research and development efforts, important achievements, major constraints associated with forage development in the country and recommendations on the way forward.

Neki aspekti političkih i ekonomskih odnosa Jugoslavije i Etiopije od 1975. do 1990.

The Non-Aligned Movement formed the backbone of Yugoslavia’s foreign policy during the Cold War. As one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement, Yugoslavia sought to maintain, as much as possible, a balance within the Movement, which encompassed countries with differing political affiliations and systems, some of which had close relations with the opposing blocs led by the USA or USSR. After the Ethiopian revolution of 1974, which overthrew Emperor Haile Sellasie, the country was led by the Derg, a junta officially known as the Provisional Military Administrative Council, which was in 1977 taken over by a Marxist-ideological current led by Mengistu Haile Meriam, who openly showed sympathy for the Soviet bloc. The Ogaden War between Ethiopia and Somalia in 1977-1978 would prove to be a turning point in Ethiopia’s foreign policy, which moved toward closer political and economic cooperation with the USSR and Cuba. Closer ties to Cuba was a particular concern for Yugoslavia, due to Cuba’s desire to impose itself as the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement and thus turn the balance of political forces within the Movement to its advantage. In this paper we want to explore political and economic relations between Ethiopia and Yugoslavia, including economic relations between the Socialist Republic of Croatia and Ethiopia, from 1975, when a new revolutionary Ethiopian diplomatic delegation came to Yugoslavia to continue Ethiopian-Yugoslavian relations, and ending in 1990, with the disintegration of Yugoslavia and socialist systems in general, when the Yugoslav role in the Non-Aligned Movement slowly eroded. The paper will also present the joint Yugoslav-Ethiopian project Nekemte, which was implemented during the 1980s and aimed at showcasing methods to increase agricultural production in Ethiopia.

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) landraces associated parasitic nematodes and their relationship with Xanthomonas wilt disease in Gurage, Ethiopia

Enset production in Ethiopia is constrainted by nematode disease. This study has examined the type, abundance and distribution of plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) and their relationship with Xanthomonas wilt of enset. Stratified random sampling technique was used to collect soil and root samples, and nematodes were extracted from the soil and fresh root samples. Eight nematode genera including. Pratylenchus, Meloidogyne, Helicotylenchus, Tylenchorhynchus, Meloidodera, Machroposthonia, Scutellonema and Xiphinema were recovered from the soil samples as well as Pratylenchus and Meloidogyne from the root samples. All roots and 87.7% of the soil samples possessed one or more nematode genus. Pratylenchus was the most abundant and frequently occurring nematode, accounting for 99.9% and 51.6 % of the total nematode density recovered from the root and soil samples, respectively. The studied enset landraces significantly differed in the nematode they harbored, of which Ageremremat, Shertye, Kibnar and Guarye were the top for Pratylenchu but was lowest on Lemat, Yiregiye, Beshute, Woka, Derewetye, Gufenwe, Charkma and Emirye landraces. Nematode density was significantly higher in samples collected from agro-ecologies at higher altitudes. Moroever, the density of Pratylenchus, Meloidogyne and Helicotylenchus, was remarkably higher on acidic compared with alkaline soils. Enset plants infected by Xanthomonas wilt showed significantly higher densities of Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus and Tylenchorhynchus. This study provided additional evidence on the distribution and level of damage caused by nematodes on enset crops that is important to all the relevant stakeholders across the crop's value chain in designing and implementing feasible integrated pest management approaches.

The status and natural impact of floriculture production in Ethiopia: a systematic review.

Ethiopia's floriculture industry is exceedingly emerging, and, currently, it ranks as the sixth largest exporter of roses worldwide and second largest in Africa. Currently, many flowers, such as rose, gypsophila, carnations, and chrysanthemum, are growing. However, floriculture farms are contributing a high level of health risks and environmental problems in Ethiopia. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the status and impacts of floriculture industries in Ethiopia. The floriculture division is an emerging sector in Ethiopia, and the number of farms, income, job opportunities, and diversity of flowers are increasing. However, the health risks and environmental fates of the sector are also increasing. Ethiopian floriculture farms lack waste disposal technologies and workers' protective equipment and safety, and the chemicals, plastics, and corrugated irons used in the farms are carelessly disposed everywhere. Pesticides, plastics, and fertilizers are also freely discharged into water bodies and terrestrial land, which is causing the development of health risks; aquatic life hazards; and soil, water, and air pollution. However, Ethiopia has no strong and functional system or structure to control the impacts of floriculture farms. The government and the farm owners are not thoughtful about the environmental issues, health concerns, and socioeconomic impacts of the wastes. The government lacks regular control and assessment of farms, and the farms are engaging for their profit. Nevertheless, developed countries are currently using both natural and modern technologies to manage floricultural wastes. Ethiopia should therefore suggest manageable possible approaches and sound management strategies based on the findings of the analyses.

Revealing determinants that affects garlic production in Ethiopia using PRISMA methodology

Today, garlic productivity in Ethiopia is below its potential which is ranked 15 in the world. This is due to numerous determinants that affect garlic production. Therefore, the study’s main objective was to reveal and sum up determinants affecting garlic production in Ethiopia using PRISMA Method. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis checklist s1 table were employed. Universally accredited and indexed high-quality databases and university libraries; specifically, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, University of Toronto Library, and Google Scholar were used for retrieving published data (2000–2022). The titles “Garlic” and Ethiopia” were used to retrieve articles. “Microsoft Excel” was used to summarize results. The present study indicated that a total of 12,000 publications from Google scholar, and 51 publications from the University of Toronto library search engine published on the web of science and Scopus were used. A total of 51 publications were chosen as being the most suitable for this paper. Among the 51 publications, 86%, 6%, 6%, and 2% were articles, Newsletter articles, Text resources, and conference proceedings, respectively. Accordingly, a study revealed that the low production of this crop is due to information obtained via a systematic review discussed and categorized as institutional determinants (15.69%), farmers’ characteristics (9.8%), production and management practice (68.63%), and postharvest (5.88%). Institutional; production and management practices are of the major determinants negatively affecting garlic production in Ethiopia. Moreover, research limitations also were revealed. The recommendation of this paper is therefore not general, specifically, each factor has been recommended.

Empirical Review of Tuta absoluta Meyrick Effect on the Tomato Production and Their Protection Attempts

The tomato is one of the most nutritious, economically important, and delicate vegetables grown in the world. It is highly susceptible to insect pests and microbial pathogens. The tomato leafminer moth, Tuta absoluta Meyrick, is the current impediment to tomato production in the world. The insect showed invasive and notorious behavior and was affecting tomato production. To control this insect, the application of synthetic insecticides is seen as the primary solution. However, during the feeding stage, larvae hide within mined leaf mesophyll and bored fruits from chemical spray, besides fast developing resistance to several insecticides. Such characteristics of the insect reduced the effectiveness of the chemical control efforts. Currently, the natural, or ecofriendly pest control method is gaining the momentum to minimize the application of synthetic insecticide against this devastating insect. Studies showed that botanical extracts (phytochemicals) and natural enemies such as parasitoids, predators, entomopathogenic nematodes, entomopathogenic fungi, and entomopathogenic bacteria are effective for controlling T. absoluta. As a result, the basic attributes of the above-mentioned natural agents and their potential to control T. absoluta have been briefly discussed in this review. However, due to disease (pests), the expected outcome for the subsectors is still low. Therefore, the pinpointing of major diseases and pests and their control measures would help to significantly improve the crop production technology used by smallholder farmers and thereby sustainably improve tomato production in Ethiopia.

Genetic Variability and Association of Traits in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes in Gechi District, South West Ethiopia

Bread wheat is the world’s leading cereal grain, and more than one-third of the world’s population uses it as a staple food. The bread wheat production in Ethiopia is low compsssared to the national average yield, mainly due to the lack of high-yielding genotypes. This study was conducted during the 2019-2020 growing season to assess genetic variability and estimate the association of traits among bread wheat genotypes. The experiment consists of 49 bread wheat genotypes and is laid out in 7 × 7 simple lattice designs. The results showed significant differences ( p &lt; 0.01) among genotypes for most of the studied traits. Moderate genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) values were estimated for yield plant −1, thousand seed weight, and biomass yield. High heritability coupled with a high GAM was observed for thousand seed weight and yield plant –1. The grain yield showed a highly significant ( p &lt; 0.01) correlation with many yield-related traits at the phenotypic and genotypic levels. The biomass yield and the harvest index exerted the highest positive direct effect on grain yield at the genotypic level. The highest intercluster distance was observed between clusters I and IV (D2 = 31.86 ∗ ∗ ), followed by clusters II and IV (D2 = 29.21 ∗ ), and clusters II and III (D2 = 28.24 ∗ ), which indicated the chance of selecting a member of these clusters for hybridization. This experiment’s result indicates sufficient genetic variability among the tested genotypes, which provides ample scope for selecting superior and desired genotypes. Best-performed genotypes should be included in the future breeding program for further yield improvement. In conclusion, attention should be given to traits with moderate to high heritability and GAM, exerting a positive direct effect on the grain yield. However, the experiment should be repeated over locations and seasons to draw a definite conclusion.

Dried-Atella as an affordable supplementary feed resource for a better sheep production: in the case of Washera lambs in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has a huge livestock population that includes sheep, which can be considered as a significant potential for the advancement of the country's economy. However, due to a shortage of appropriate supplementary feed and its escalating price, the production and productivity of sheep fattening in Ethiopian smallholder farmers are below its potential. Moreover, the use of Dried-Atella as an affordable supplementary feed resource for a better sheep production is not investigated and well documented. The aim of this study was to assess the comparative supplementation effects of Dried-Atella and Niger seed cakes (NSCs) on total dry matter and nutrient intake, body weight change, and carcass characteristics of Washera lambs. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three treatments replicated five times. The treatments are described as follows: Treatment 1 = Natural pasture hay (NPH) (800 g/d) + Wheat bran (WB) (160 g/d) + salt and water (ad libitum); Treatment 2 = NPH (800 g/d) + WB (160 g/d) + NSC (163 g/d) + salt and water (ad libitum); and Treatment 3 = NPH (800 g/d) + WB (160 g/d) + Dried-Atella (330 g/d) + salt and water (ad libitum). The finding elucidated that the crude protein (CP) content of Dried Atella, WB, NPH, and NSC were about 25.07%, 16.57%, 4.48%, and 38.04%, respectively. The result also indicated that the average mean value of the feed and CP intake of the sheep fed Dried-Atella was significantly higher than the other treatments (P-value = 0.000). With regard to the CP digestibility and dry matter digestibility, animals supplemented with Dried-Atella were significantly higher than the control group with P-value = 0.000 and P-value = 0.028, respectively. The body weight gain of the sheep is significantly higher (P-value = 0.008) for feeds supplemented with Dried-Atella than feeds without any supplement. In terms of economic profitability, a slightly better benefit was recorded in feed supplements with Dried-Atella than supplements with NSC, animal feed without any supplement exhibited loss. Considering its effect on feed intake, CP intake, and its digestibility, body weight gain, and carcass characteristics of lambs, Dried-Atella is a promising affordable supplementary feed resource for better sheep production in Ethiopia.

English

Weed infestation is one of the main menaces of irrigated wheat production and productivity in Ethiopia. This experiment was conducted at Amibara and Fentale districts, to determine the appropriate period of herbicide application in irrigated wheat in Awash Valley. A total of ten treatments; 13, 18, 23, 28, 32, 38, 43 and 48 days after sowing along with a weed-free and weedy check were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replication. The result revealed that weed density and biomass increased as weed competition periods increased, with the highest weed densities and biomass reported in weedy check in both study locations. The current study found that critical period of weed crop competition in wheat crop irrigated lowland areas were between 18 to 28 days after planting to avoid economic yield loss. Furthermore, weed growth was faster in the hot area and weed attained an economic threshold level earlier than in Ethiopia&#39;s highlands. Weed management in irrigated wheat conditions must be at the early seedling wheat crop stage. Future research should focus on evaluating various herbicides against broad leaf and grass weeds. Key words: Critical-period, weed populations, pallas herbicide, yield loss.

Productivity Potential and Yield gap estimation of pulse crops in Ethiopian Agriculture

This study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the pulse crops yield gaps for extra grain in production in Ethiopia. The study covers the period 2006/07-2020/21. Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA) Agricultural Sample Survey (AgSS) and crop variety register issue of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) data were used for the analysis. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric analysis. The descriptive analysis provides quantitative estimates of yield gaps to measure and compare yield potentials and actual yields. Pooled Mean-Group (PMG) model was used to analyze the impact of yield and area on production. After cereals, the second most important crop group (in terms of acreage) is pulses. The area cultivated of pulses is grown by 29.6% between 2006/07-2020/21, which is a faster growth compared to the oil crops area (-3.8%). Pulse production has grown significantly in the country over the past 16 years, rising from around 12.7 million quintals in 2006/07 to 32 million quintals in 2020/21 with growth rate of 151.7%. The production has more than doubled, because of a 64.3% increase in area under the crop and a 35.7% increase in yield during the same period. The average pulses yield level is very low (1.4 tons/ha) as compared to that of the estimated average potential (2.0 tons/ha) in the country for the studied crops. For the analyzed period, results shows 0.2 qt/ha, 8.5 qt/ha, 9.1 qt/ha, 5.7 qt/ha, 2.0 qt/ha, 16.7 qt/ha, and 7.9 qt/ha for chick-peas, faba beans, field peas, gibto, haricot beans, mung bean and, lentils yield gap existed when the national average yield was compared with that of the released cultivars potential under farmer management, respectively for the analyzed period 2020/21. Our findings suggest that if farmers had closed yield gap, Ethiopia could have potential grain surplus of chick-peas, faba beans, field peas, gibto, haricot beans, mung bean, and lentils production by a respective of 4, 427, 200, 8, 61, 67, and 80 thousand Mt, without expanding cropland area. Based on the Pooled Mean-Group (PMG) model result, if cultivated area and yield of crops are increased by 1% then the production growth will be increased by 1% and by 0.99% in the long run respectively. Overall, this study reveals that there are large yield gaps and that substantial benefit for food production are possible through closing these gaps, without the need for new technology and expanding cropland area.

Agronomic and economic performance of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) varieties in response to rates of blended NPS fertilizer in Kindo Koysha district, Southern Ethiopia.

Mung bean is one of Ethiopia’s most important pulse crops in the lowlands. The main constraints to mung bean productivity in Ethiopia are low soil fertility and improved varieties. During the 2018 cropping season, a field experiment was conducted in Kindo Koysha woreda with the objective of evaluating the effects of NPS fertilizer rates on yield and yield attributing traits of four mung bean varieties. Treatments consisted of factorial combinations of four mung bean varieties (N26, Shewarobit, NVL-1, and Chinese) with four NPS fertilizer rates (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha−1) laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The combination of the N26 variety with 150 kg NPS produced the highest number of pods per plant (15.46), seeds per pod (10.93), grain yield (1240.70 kg ha−1), and biomass (3177.40 kg ha−1). Moreover, the combination of 100 kg NPS ha−1 with the variety N26 also generated the highest net return (31,734.30 Birr ha−1) with a marginal rate of return of 771.71%. Thus, it may be tentatively stated that the usage of 100 kg NPS ha−1 with the variety N26 was determined to be optimum for the development of mung bean in the study region.