Participatory tomato variety selection in the lowland areas of North Shewa

The production and productivity of tomatoes in Ethiopia as well as in Amhara Region are very low because of lack of improved and adapted varieties, inadequate knowledge of production and management, and a poor marketing system. The field experiment was carried out during the 2018 irrigation seasons at Ataye and Shewarobit to identify adaptive, high yielding and disease tolerant varieties of tomato. Eight improved tomato varieties were laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The collected biological data were analyzed using SAS statistical software version 9.4, and farmers’ preferences for those varieties were also assessed based on selection attributes set by them. The combined analysis of variance revealed that there was significant difference between the varieties on the number of fruits per cluster, plant height, marketable number, unmarketable number and average weight of a tomato. The highest number of fruits per cluster was recorded from variety Mersa (3.83), followed by Melkasalsa (3.73) and Melkashola (3.7). The variety Mersa was the tallest followed by Weyno with plant heights of 110.5 cm and 110.96 cm, respectively.  The highest average fruit weight was recorded for the variety D2 (61.25 g) followed by Cochoro (46.46 g). Even though it was not statistically significant, the variety Melkashola has given the highest marketable yield (32.98 t ha-1) and showed a better reaction to late blight disease as low as 27.5 %. In addition to this, variety Melkashola was highly preferred by the farmers. Based on the biological data and farmer’s preference variety Melkashola has been recommended for Ataye and Shewarobit as well as for other similar agro-ecologies

Schistosoma mansoni and other intestinal parasitic infections in schoolchildren and vervet monkeys in Lake Ziway area, Ethiopia

Abstract Objective To assess Schistosoma mansoni and other intestinal parasitic infections in schoolchildren and vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) in Bochessa Village, Ziway, Ethiopia. Results Fecal specimens from selected schoolchildren and droppings of the vervet monkeys were collected and microscopically examined for intestinal parasites using the Kato-Katz thick smear and formol-ether concentration techniques. The prevalences of S. mansoni, Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, Enterobius vermicularis, hookworms, Hymenolepis nana and Taenia species among the children were 35.7, 26.9, 24.1, 2.1, 2.1, 1.07 and 2.1%, respectively (by Kato-Katz) and 39.3, 36.1, 35.6, 2.9, 10.0, 4.3, and 2.9%, respectively (by formol-ether concentration). Prevalence of S. mansoni in vervet monkeys ranged from 10 to 20%. B. pfeifferi snails were exposed to S. mansoni miracidia from vervet origin, shed cercariae were then used to infect lab-bred albino mice. Adult worms were harvested from the mice 5 weeks post-exposure to cercariae to establish the schistosome life cycle and confirm the infection in the vervet monkeys. The natural infection of S. mansoni in vervet monkeys suggests that the non-human primate is likely to be implicated in the local transmission of schistosomiasis. Further epidemiological and molecular studies are needed to fully elucidate zoonotic role of non-human primate in the area

Detection of Volatile Constituents from Food Lures by Tephritid Fruit Flies

Tephritid fruit flies require protein for sexual and gonotrophic development. Food-based lures are therefore widely used in strategies to detect and control fruit flies in the Tephritidae family. However, these baits are attractive to a broad range of insect species. We therefore sought to identify volatiles detected by the fly antennae, with the goal to compose lures that more specifically target tephritids. Using gas chromatography-coupled electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) we screened for antennal responses of four important tephritid species to volatile compounds from five commercially available protein-based baits. Antennal active compounds were reconstituted in synthetic blends for each species and used in behavioral assays. These species-based blends were attractive in olfactometer experiments, as was a blend composed of all antennally active compounds from all the four species we observed (tested only in Bactrocera dorsalis, Hendel). Pilot field tests indicate that the blends need to be further evaluated and optimized under field conditions