Genotype by Environment Interaction and Grain Yield Stability Analysis for Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) Genotypes from Western Oromia

Crop yield is a complex trait influenced by a number of component characters along with the environment directly or indirectly. Genotype performance  depends on its genetic potential and the environment where it is grown. Genotypes by environment (GxE) interactions are generally considered to be  among the major factors limiting response to selection and the efficiency of breeding programs. Ten advanced finger millet genotypes and one standard  check were evaluated at Bako and Gute research center for three years (2013-2015) and at Bilo Boshe for one year (2014) with objectives of identifying  high yielding and stable genotypes. Analysis using additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model revealed highly significant (P≤0.01)  variations among environments, genotype and GxE interaction. This implied that the tested genotypes respond differently over environments as the test  environments are highly variable. Only the first IPCA-I was significant (p ≤0.01) and contributed 41.57% of the total genotype by environment interaction.  It is found that genotypes 214995 and BKFM0063 are high yielding and IPCA value closer to zero, an indicator of stable yield performance across years  and location. Analysis using Eberhart and Russell regression model showed that genotypes 214995, BKFM0063 and BKFM0052 were the most stable  candidates with better grain yield of 2.99, 2.70 and 2.53 ton ha-1, regression coefficients of 0.9879, 1.22 and 0.9459 and reasonably acceptable deviation  from regression 0.0321, -0.01135 and 0.0607, respectively, further confirming that these genotypes are stable and widely adaptable. Genotype and  genotype by environment interaction biplot (GGE) also portrayed the stability of Acc. 214995. Overall, the AMMI, Regression and GGE Biplot revealed  similar results and both 214995 and BKFM0063 genotypes were proposed for possible release. Finally, 214995 was released and recommended for the  test environments and similar agro-ecologies of western Ethiopia based on farmers preferences, stable yield performance and disease tolerance across    locations

Dairy Production Potential and Challenges in Western Oromia Milk Value Chain, Oromia, Ethiopia

Challenges and opportunities of milk production potential in western Oromia Dairy value chain was studied with the general essence of understanding the status of milk production, marketing and utilization of the area along with the constraints hindering the development of the sector. Seven Towns, namely Ambo, Naqamte, Gimbi, Dambi-Dollo, Baddalle, Mattu and Jimma were purposively selected on the basis of their significance in the dairy production of the region. Altogether 161 dairy farmers dwelling in these peri-urban dairy farming systems were purposefully selected and interviewed individually using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questions posed to the farmers include aspects of dairy cattle production and productivity breeding management, available feed resource and feeding strategy, milk and milk product consumption patterns and marketing, Challenges in milk production and potential opportunities available for the improvement in the dairy sector were assessed. Perusal of the results revealed that there are location differences in cattle holding, milk production, consumption and marketing system. It was found that both local breeds and dairy types (crosses) of animals were kept in the area. The dairy types are mostly Holstein Friesian with different blood levels, and were reported to produce on average more than 3 folds (6.5 lt vs 2.2 lt) of the local animals. Large number of lactating cows and high milk production per household was being reported from Jimma. While small number of cows and low milk production per household was reported from Gimbi of west Wollega zone. It is evident from the result that the demand in dairying is steadily increasing in all the study sites. Results also emphasized the important role of dairying in generating employment in the peri-urban system of Oromia regional State. However, unavailability of improved dairy stock and in adequate A.I. services, shortage of feeds and cost of concentrates, disease challenges and price fluctuation in milk and milk products are some of the bottlenecks that requires systematic planning and intervention from all development practitioners

Studying the context of psychoses to improve outcomes in Ethiopia (SCOPE):Protocol paper

BACKGROUND: Global evidence on psychosis is dominated by studies conducted in Western, high-income countries. The objectives of the Study of Context Of Psychoses to improve outcomes in Ethiopia (SCOPE) are (1) to generate rigorous evidence of psychosis experience, epidemiology and impacts in Ethiopia that will illuminate aetiological understanding and (2) inform development and testing of interventions for earlier identification and improved first contact care that are scalable, inclusive of difficult-to-reach populations and optimise recovery.METHODS: The setting is sub-cities of Addis Ababa and rural districts in south-central Ethiopia covering 1.1 million people and including rural, urban and homeless populations. SCOPE comprises (1) formative work to understand care pathways and community resources (resource mapping); examine family context and communication (ethnography); develop valid measures of family communication and personal recovery; and establish platforms for community engagement and involvement of people with lived experience; (2a) a population-based incidence study, (2b) a case-control study and (2c) a cohort study with 12 months follow-up involving 440 people with psychosis (390 rural/Addis Ababa; 50 who are homeless), 390 relatives and 390 controls. We will test hypotheses about incidence rates in rural vs. urban populations and men vs. women; potential aetiological role of khat (a commonly chewed plant with amphetamine-like properties) and traumatic exposures in psychosis; determine profiles of needs at first contact and predictors of outcome; (3) participatory workshops to develop programme theory and inform co-development of interventions, and (4) evaluation of the impact of early identification strategies on engagement with care (interrupted time series study). Findings will inform development of (5) a protocol for (5a) a feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial of interventions for people with recent-onset psychosis in rural settings and (5b) two uncontrolled pilot studies to test acceptability, feasibility of co-developed interventions in urban and homeless populations.</p

The burden of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia from 1990 to 2016: evidence from the Global Burden of Diseases 2016 Study

BACKGROUND: The burden of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia has not been comprehensively assessed over the last two decades. In this study, we used the 2016 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk factors (GBD) data to analyze the incidence, prevalence, mortality and Disability-adjusted Life Years Lost (DALY) rates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Ethiopia over the last 26 years. METHODS: The GBD 2016 used a wide range of data source for Ethiopia such as verbal autopsy (VA), surveys, reports of the Federal Ministry of Health and the United Nations (UN) and published scientific articles. The modified United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Spectrum model was used to estimate the incidence and mortality rates for HIV/AIDS. RESULTS: In 2016, an estimated 36,990 new HIV infections (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 8775-80262), 670,906 prevalent HIV cases (95% UI: 568,268-798,970) and 19,999 HIV deaths (95% UI: 16426-24412) occurred in Ethiopia. The HIV/AIDS incidence rate peaked in 1995 and declined by 6.3% annually for both sexes with a total reduction of 77% between 1990 and 2016. The annualized HIV/AIDS mortality rate reduction during 1990 to 2016 for both sexes was 0.4%

A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Ethiopian Sorghum Landrace Collection Reveal Loci Associated With Important Traits

The eastern Africa region, Ethiopia and its surroundings, is considered as the center of origin and diversity for sorghum, and has contributed to global sorghum genetic improvement. The germplasm from this region harbors enormous genetic variation for various traits but little is known regarding the genetic architecture of most traits. Here, 1425 Ethiopian landrace accessions were phenotyped under field conditions for presence or absence of awns, panicle compactness and shape, panicle exsertion, pericarp color, glume cover, plant height and smut resistance under diverse environmental conditions in Ethiopia. In addition, F1 hybrids obtained from a subset of 1341 accessions crossed to an A1 cytoplasmic male sterile line, ATx623, were scored for fertility/sterility reactions. Subsequently, genotyping-by-sequencing generated a total of 879,407 SNPs from which 72,190 robust SNP markers were selected after stringent quality control (QC). Pairwise distance-based hierarchical clustering identified 11 distinct groups. Of the genotypes assigned to either one of the 11 sub-populations, 65% had high ancestry membership coefficient with the likelihood of more than 0.60 and the remaining 35% represented highly admixed accessions. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified loci and SNPs associated with aforementioned traits. GWAS based on compressed mixed linear model (CMLM) identified SNPs with significant association (FDR ≤ 0.05) to the different traits studied. The percentage of total phenotypic variation explained with significant SNPs across traits ranged from 2 to 43%. Candidate genes showing significant association with different traits were identified. The sorghum bHLH transcription factor, ABORTED MICROSPORES was identified as a strong candidate gene conditioning male fertility. Notably, sorghum CLAVATA1 receptor like kinase, known for regulation of plant growth, and the ETHYLENE RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR gene RAP2-7, known to suppress transition to flowering, were significantly associated with plant height. In addition, the YELLOW SEED1 like MYB transcription factor and TANNIN1 showed strong association with pericarp color validating previous observations. Overall, the genetic architecture of natural variation representing the complex Ethiopian sorghum germplasm was established. The study contributes to the characterization of genes and alleles controlling agronomic traits, and will serve as a source of markers for molecular breeding