Correlation and Path Analysis Studies of Stalk Lodging Resistance, Grain Yield and Related Agronomic Traits in Different Maize Varieties

Twelve maize varieties of different years of release were grown at Bako in a plot size of 15.3 m2 using the RCBD design under rain fed condition at Bako.  The objectives were to assess the degree of variation of maize genotypes for stalk lodging resistance and to estimate correlation among stalk lodging,  grain yield, and yield related traits. There were significant differences among genotypes for stalk lodging (P<0.01). Even though there were significant  difference (P<0.01) for grain yield among genotypes most of the genotypes performed below their potential, except BH-541 due to the late onset of  rainfall and terminal drought stress, which disfavours the full expression of genetic potential. A relatively high value of phenotypic coefficients of  variation was observed for stalk water content, grain moister content, ear height, and stalk lodging percentage. The correlation values though high, were  non-significant for most of genotypes due to the small number of experimental material tested. The dependent characters yield and stalk lodging  correlated negatively at phenotypic and environmental level. Both grain yield and stalk lodging showed positive direct effect with grain moisture content  (1.3817, 1.7844), ear height (6.9566, 8.9841), major stalk diameter (0.4912, 0.6344), minor stalk diameter (0.0912, 0.1178), ear length (0.4152, 0.5362) and  stalk water content (0.4386, 0.5664) at phenotypic level. Correlations of grain yield with major stalk diameter (rp=0.7056) and with ear length (rp=0.5999)  was positive and in a desirable direction, while Correlations of stalk lodging with major stalk diameter (rp=-0.3713) and with ear length (rp=-0.4332) was  negative and in a desirable direction, so improving these traits directly improved grain yield and decrease stalk lodging but restricted simultaneous  selection of other indirect traits would be important especially when we practice direct selection through major stalk diameter and ear length; hence, the  positive contributor traits grain moister content, ear height, minor stalk diameter, stalk water content ignored while plant height, ear height to plant  height ratio should be considered. Among the genotypes, BH-541 was found to be ideal since it has the highest values for both major stalk diameter and  ear length.&nbsp

Implicit prices of indigenous cattle traits in central Ethiopia: Application of revealed and stated preference approaches

The diversity of animal genetic resources has a quasi-public good nature that makes market prices inadequate indicator of its economic worth. Applying the characteristics theory of value, this research estimated the relative economic worth of the attributes of cattle genetic resources in central Ethiopia. Transaction level data were collected over four seasons in a year and choice experiment survey was done in five markets to generate data on both revealed and stated preferences of cattle buyers. Heteroscedasticity efficient estimation and random parameters logit were employed to analyse the data. The results essentially show that attributes related to the subsistence functions of cattle are more valued than attributes that directly influence marketable products of the animals. The findings imply the strong need to invest on improvement of attributes of cattle in the study area that enhance the subsistence functions of cattle that their owners accord higher priority to support their livelihoods than they do to tradable products

Survey of Viruses Affecting Legume Crops in the Amhara and Oromia Regions of Ethiopia

Field surveys were undertaken to identify the viral diseases affecting lentil, faba bean, chickpea, pea, fenugreek and grass pea in two regions of Ethiopia. The surveys were conducted in the regions of Amhara (Gonder and Gojam administrative zones) and Oromia (Bale administrative zone) during the 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 growing seasons, respectively. The survey covered 138 randomly selected fields (48 faba bean, 10 pea, 38 grass pea, 34 chickpea, 8 lentil) in the Amhara region, and 51 legume fields (29 faba bean, 12 pea, 3 lentil, 5 fenugreek, 2 chickpea) in the Oromia region. Virus disease incidence was determined by laboratory testing of 100–200 randomly-collected samples from each field against the antisera of 12 legume viruses. Of the 189 fields surveyed, 121 and 7 had, at the time of the survey, a virus disease incidence of 1% or less and more than 6%, respectively, based on visual inspection in the field; later laboratory testing showed that the number of fields in these two categories was in fact 99 and 56, respectively. Serological tests indicated that the most important viruses in the Amhara region were Faba bean necrotic yellows virus (FBNYV), Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV), Pea seed-borne mosaic virus (PSbMV) and the luteoviruses [e.g. Beet western yellows virus (BWYV), Bean leaf roll virus (BLRV), Soybean dwarf virus (SbDV)]. By contrast, only FBNYV and the luteoviruses were detected in the Oromia region. Other viruses, such as Broad bean mottle virus (BBMV) and Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), were rarely detected in the Amhara region. This is the first report in Ethiopia of natural infection of faba bean, pea and fenugreek with SbDV, of fenugreek with BWYV, and of grass pea with BYMV, PSbMV and BWYV, and it is also the first recorded instance of BBMV infecting legume crops in Ethiopia

Identifying gaps in the practices of rural health extension workers in Ethiopia:A task analysis study

Background: Health extension workers (HEWs) are the frontline health workers for Ethiopia's primary health care system. The Federal Ministry of Health is seeking to upgrade and increase the number of HEWs, particularly in remote areas, and address concerns about HEWs' pre-service education and practices. The aim of this study was to identify gaps in HEWs' practices and recommend changes in their training and scope of practice. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive task analysis was conducted to assess the work of rural HEWs who had been in practice for six months to five years. One hundred participants were invited from 100 health posts in five regions of Ethiopia. HEWs self-reported on 62 tasks on: frequency, criticality (importance), where the task was learned, and ability to perform the task. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were computed for each variable. Task combinations were examined to identify tasks performed infrequently or for which HEWs are inadequately prepared. Results: A total of 82 rural HEWs participated in the study. Nearly all HEWs rated every task as highly critical to individual and public health outcomes. On average, most HEWs (51.5%-57.4%) reported learning hygiene and environmental sanitation tasks, disease prevention and control tasks, family health tasks, and health education and communication tasks outside of their pre-service education, primarily through in-service and on-the-job training. Over half of HEWs reported performing certain critical tasks infrequently, including management of supplies, stocks and maintenance at the facility and management of the cold chain system. Almost all HEWs (95.7-97.2%) perceived themselves as competent and proficient in performing tasks in all program areas. Conclusion: HEWs were insufficiently prepared during pre-service education for all tasks that fall within their scope of practice. Many learned tasks through in-service or on-the-job training, and some tasks were not learned at all. Some tasks that are part of expected HEW practice were performed infrequently, potentially reducing the effectiveness of the Health Extension Program to provide preventive and basic curative health care services to communities. Findings should alert policy makers to the need to review HEWs' scope of practice, update pre-service education curricula and prioritize in-service training modules

Priority areas for vulture conservation in the Horn of Africa largely fall outside the protected area network

Vulture populations are in severe decline across Africa and prioritization of geographic areas for their conservation is urgently needed. To do so, we compiled three independent datasets on vulture occurrence from road-surveys, GPS-tracking, and citizen science (eBird), and used maximum entropy to build ensemble species distribution models (SDMs). We then identified spatial vulture conservation priorities in Ethiopia, a stronghold for vultures in Africa, while accounting for uncertainty in our predictions. We were able to build robust distribution models for five vulture species across the entirety of Ethiopia, including three Critically Endangered, one Endangered, and one Near Threatened species. We show that priorities occur in the highlands of Ethiopia, which provide particularly important habitat for Bearded Gypaetus barbatus, Hooded Necrosyrtes monachus, Ruppell's Gyps ruppelli and White-backed Gyps africanus Vultures, as well as the lowlands of north-eastern Ethiopia, which are particularly valuable for the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus. One-third of the core distribution of the Egyptian Vulture was protected, followed by the White-backed Vulture at one-sixth, and all other species at one-tenth. Overall, only about one-fifth of vulture priority areas were protected. Given that there is limited protection of priority areas and that vultures range widely, we argue that measures of broad spatial and legislative scope will be necessary to address drivers of vulture declines, including poisoning, energy infrastructure, and climate change, while considering the local social context and aiding sustainable development.Peer reviewe

The formation of the Eastern Africa rabies network : a sub-regional approach to rabies elimination

International rabies networks have been formed in many of the canine-rabies endemic regions around the world to create unified and directed regional approaches towards elimination. The aim of the first sub-regional Eastern Africa rabies network meeting, which included Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda, was to discuss how individual country strategies could be coordinated to address the unique challenges that are faced within the network. The Stepwise Approach towards Rabies Elimination and the Global Dog Rabies Elimination Pathway tool were used to stimulate discussion and planning to achieve the elimination of canine-mediated human rabies by 2030. Our analysis estimated a total dog population of 18.3 million dogs in the Eastern Africa region. The current dog vaccination coverage was estimated to be approximately 5% (915,000 dogs), with an estimated 4910 vaccinators available. Assuming that every vaccinator performs rabies vaccination, this equated to each vaccinator currently vaccinating 186 dogs per year, whilst the target would be to vaccinate 2609 dogs every year for the community to reach 70% coverage. In order to achieve the World Health Organization-recommended 70% vaccination coverage, an additional 11 million dogs need to be vaccinated each year, pointing to an average annual shortfall of $ 23 million USD in current spending to achieve elimination by 2030 across the region. Improved vaccination efficiency within the region could be achieved by improving logistics and/or incorporating multiple vaccination methods to increase vaccinator efficiency, and could serve to reduce the financial burden associated with rabies elimination. Regional approaches to rabies control are of value, as neighboring countries can share their unique challenges while, at the same time, common approaches can be developed and resource-saving strategies can be implemented.http://www.mdpi.com/journal/tropicalmedam2018Microbiology and Plant Patholog

Genetic diversity in tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]

Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is a cereal crop resilient to adverse climatic and soil conditions, and possessing desirable storage properties. Although tef provides high quality food and grows under marginal conditions unsuitable for other cereals, it is considered to be an orphan crop because it has benefited little from genetic improvement. Hence, unlike other cereals such as maize and wheat, the productivity of tef is extremely low. In spite of the low productivity, tef is widely cultivated by over six million small-scale farmers in Ethiopia where it is annually grown on more than three million hectares of land, accounting for over 30% of the total cereal acreage. Tef, a tetraploid with 40 chromosomes (2n = 4x = 40), belongs to the family Poaceae and, together with finger millet (Eleusine coracana Gaerth.), to the subfamily Chloridoideae. It was originated and domesticated in Ethiopia. There are about 350 Eragrostis species of which E. tef is the only species cultivated for human consumption. At the present time, the gene bank in Ethiopia holds over five thousand tef accessions collected from geographical regions diverse in terms of climate and elevation. These germplasm accessions appear to have huge variability with regard to key agronomic and nutritional traits. In order to properly utilize the variability in developing new tef cultivars, various techniques have been implemented to catalog the extent and unravel the patterns of genetic diversity. In this review, we show some recent initiatives investigating the diversity of tef using genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics and discuss the prospect of these efforts in providing molecular resources that can aid modern tef breeding

Routine health management information system data in Ethiopia: consistency, trends, and challenges.

Background: Ethiopia is investing in the routine Health Management Information System. Improved routine data are needed for decision-making in the health sector. Objective: To analyse the quality of the routine Health Management Information System data and triangulate with other sources, such as the Demographic and Health Surveys. Methods: We analysed national Health Management Information System data on 19 indicators of maternal health, neonatal survival, immunization, child nutrition, malaria, and tuberculosis over the 2012-2018 time period. The analyses were conducted by 38 analysts from the Ministry of Health, Ethiopia, and two government agencies who participated in the Operational Research and Coaching for Analysts (ORCA) project between June 2018 and June 2020. Using a World Health Organization Data Quality Review toolkit, we assessed indicator definitions, completeness, internal consistency over time and between related indicators, and external consistency compared with other data sources. Results: Several services reported coverage of above 100%. For many indicators, denominators were based on poor-quality population data estimates. Data on individual vaccinations had relatively good internal consistency. In contrast, there was low external consistency for data on fully vaccinated children, with the routine Health Management Information System showing 89% coverage but the Demographic and Health Survey estimate at 39%. Maternal health indicators displayed increasing coverage over time. Indicators on child nutrition, malaria, and tuberculosis were less consistent. Data on neonatal mortality were incomplete and operationalised as mortality on day 0-6. Our comparisons with survey and population projections indicated that one in eight early neonatal deaths were reported in the routine Health Management Information System. Data quality varied between regions. Conclusions: The quality of routine data gathered in the health system needs further attention. We suggest regular triangulation with data from other sources. We recommend addressing the denominator issues, reducing the complexity of indicators, and aligning indicators to international definitions