Determination of Water Requirement and Crop Coefficient for Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) at Melkassa, Ethiopia

Knowledge of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), the combined process of evaporation and plant transpiration, is important in agriculture for  scheduling farm  operations and designing and managing irrigation and drainage systems. Development of crop coefficient (Kc) can enhance crop evapotranspiration (ETc) estimates in specific crop growth stages. However, locally determined Kc information is not available for many important crops in Ethiopia. This research was, therefore, conducted to determine growth stage specific Kc and crop water use for sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) var. Gambella-1107 at the Melkassa Agricultural Research Center which is located in a semi arid climate zone in Ethiopia. Drainage type lysimeter was used to measure Gambella-1107 crop water use under water balance system on a clay loam soil and local weather data were used to determine the reference  evapotranspiration (ETo). Crop coefficient was developed from measured ETc and ETo calculated using weather data. The growth stages of the crop were assessed as the seasonal change of plant height (pH), leaf area (LA) and leaf area index (LAI). The yield obtained was 5.3 t ha-1 and the measured LAI were 0.2, 4.2, 4.9 and 1.6 at the initial, development, midseason and late season stages, respectively. The maximum LAI was achieved when the plants reach their maximum height at mid-season stage with high crop evapotranspiration due to leaf enlargement that increases transpiration. The measured ETc values were 53.8, 138.5, 214.4, and 94.0 mm during the initial, development, midseason and late-season stages, respectively, and the seasonal total value was 500.7 mm. The calculated Kc values for the crop were 0.45, 0.83, 1.18 and 0.78 during the initial, development, mid-season and late-season stages, respectively. These values were greater than those reported in FAO publication for  sorghum varieties which could be a result of soil, climate and crop genetic differences. This suggests the need for developing site-specific Kc values for proper irrigation management

Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) analysis of wild and cultivated rice species from Ethiopia

The genetic diversity of three wild rice populations of Ethiopia along with three cultivated rice populations were studied using Inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) as a molecular marker. A total of 93 clear and reproducible bands were generated using four dinucleotides and two tetra nucleotides primers. Both UPGMA and neighbor joining trees were constructed for each individual and population using Jaccard’s similarity coefficient. The trees and PCO clearly indicated six distinct groups which are based on populations of origin. Oryza glaberrima, Oryza sativa and NERICA-3 clustered as a major group while Oryza barthii and Oryza longistaminata were clustered as the second major group. Such clustering of O. glaberrima with O. sativa and NERICA-3 is considered to be due to genetic admixture of O. glaberrima with O. sativa. The over all gene diversity and percent polymorphisms were found to be higher in wild rice (0.14; 38.3 respectively) than in cultivars (0.11; 28.3 respectively). The Shannon’s diversity index also confirmed the existence of higher diversity in wild rice populations than cultivated species. Furthermore, partitioning of the Shannon’s diversity showed that the majority of the variations were observed among population (63%). Similarly, AMOVA demonstrate highly significant (P = 0.00) genetic differences among populations (72.9) than within populations (27.1).Key words: Genetic diversity, wild rice populations, cultivated rice, Oryza sativa, Oryza glaberrima, NERICA, ISSR

Genetic diversity and population structure of Ethiopian lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) landraces as revealed by ISSR marker

Characterization of genetic resources maintained at genebanks has important implication for future utilization and collection activities. The objective of this study was to assess the level of geneticdiversity, genetic structure and genetic distance, and to indirectly estimate the level of gene flow among populations of Ethiopian lentil landraces using intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker. Forthis purpose, seeds of seventy landrace accessions collected from seven different administrative regions of Ethiopia were obtained from Inistitute of Biodiversity Conservation and grown at SinanaAgricultural Research Center (Bale-Robe, Ethiopia) on-station field plot. DNA was extracted from a bulk leaf sample of fifteen randomly selected seed-raised plants using a triple CTAB extraction technique.ISSR data were generated using four primers. The total genetic diversity ( T H ), the intrapopulation genetic diversity ( S H ) and the interpopulation genetic diversity ( ST D ) were 0.175, 0.095 and 0.079,respectively. High intrapopulation genetic diversity was observed for Gonder, Shewa and Wello populations, while Arsi, Bale, Tigray and Gojam populations showed low intrapopulation diversity.There was high genetic differentiation (GST = 0.455) but intermediate gene flow level (Nm = 0.60) among populations. The genetic distance ( D ) between populations ranged from 0.012 – 0.228. Cluster analysisrevealed two groups of Ethiopian lentil landrace populations. The results provide important baseline for future germplasm conservation and improvement programs

Evaluation of disease incidence and severity and yield loss of finger millet varieties and mycelial growth inhibition of Pyricularia grisea isolates using biological antagonists and fungicides in vitro condition.

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a survey on the disease incidence and severity at 5 agroecological zones of Ethiopia. Moreover, the study was also designed to carry out pathogenicity test, estimate yield losses caused by test pathogen and in vitro evaluation of fungicides and biocontrol agents against finger millet blast isolates. Methodology and Results: The incidence of finger millet blast was assessed as the percentage of plants with visible symptoms in a field and greenhouse. Blast severity was also evaluated as the percentage of leaf area with symptoms. From the surveyed areas, maximum disease incidence and severity were recorded in west Wollega zone with 63.03 and 34.60%, and lowest disease incidence and severity was recorded in Awi zone with 46.7 and 15.7%, respectively. A total of 42 isolates of P. grisea were collected and isolated from infected finger millet plants and wild relatives from five agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia. The pathogenicity test conducted in greenhouse on three finger millet varieties also indicated that among P. grisea isolates, Pg.11, Pg.41 and Pg.40 showed the highest disease incidence on all the three varieties with 74.8, 69.5 and 66.5%, respectively. Moreover, the highest disease severity with 27.7 and 27.8% were observed by isolates Pg.11 and Pg.41, respectively. In vitro evaluation and testing of Trichoderma viride have showed maximum mycelial growth inhibition with 77.1% and 74.1% by isolates Pg.41 and Pg.22, respectively; while Pseudomonas fluorescens showed maximum mycelial growth inhibition by isolates Pg.40 (57.2%), followed by Pg.26 (56.1%). The efficacy tests of four fungicides evaluated for their antifungal activity showed Sancozeb (85.50- 88.40%) as the most effective fungicide to inhibit mycelial growth of P. grisea.Conclusion and application of findings: The highest percent of mycelial growth inhibition of P. grisea isolates was observed by T.harzianum and T. viride and followed by Pseudomonas fluorescens. Sancozeb was the most effective fungicide and also showed the highest mycelial growth inhibition on the isolate of P. grisea and followed by ridomil, bayleton, and curzate. From in vitro evaluation of the effectiveness of biological agents and fungicides against the mycelia growth of P.grisea isolates, fungicides were most effective for the control of blast disease of finger millet than biological agents.Keywords: Biocontrol, Blast disease, Eleusine coracana, Fungicide, Pyricularia grisea

Farmers' willingness to accept payments for ecosystem services on agricultural land:The case of climate-smart agroforestry in Ethiopia

This study examines smallholder farmers' preferences for the uptake of contractual climate-smart agroforestry, which yields economic and ecosystem benefits. A discrete choice experiment was conducted with smallholder farmers in Ethiopia to elicit their willingness to participate in a payment for ecosystem services (PES) scheme that incentivizes integrating faidherbia albida (a fertilizer tree) in their mono-cropping farming system. Attributes evaluated are "number of planted trees", "payment amount", "payment type", and "contract period". The presence of heterogeneity in the choice behavior of farmers warrants the use of the generalized multinomial logit and latent class conditional logit models to allow for farmer-and class-specific preferences, respectively. The results show that farmers derive higher utility from up-front payments. Farmers also strongly prefer food as the mode of payment than cash

Exploiting indigenous knowledge of subsistence farmers’ for the management and conservation of Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) (musaceae family) diversity on-farm

Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) belongs to the order sctaminae, the family musaceae. The Musaceae family is subdivided into the genera Musa and Ensete. Enset is an important staple crop for about 20 million people in the country. Recent publications on enset ethnobotany are insignificant when compared to the diverse ethnolingustic communities in the country. Hence, this paper try to identify and document wealth of indigenous knowledge associated with the distribution, diversity, and management of enset in the country. Methods: The study was conducted in eight ethnic groups in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State. In order to identify and document wealth of indigenous knowledge, the data was collected mainly through individual interviews and direct on-farm participatory monitoring and observation with 320 farm households, key informant interviews. Relevant secondary data, literature and inter-personal data were collected from unpublished progress report from National Enset Research Project, elderly people and senior experts. Results: Enset-based farming system is one of a major agricultural system in Ethiopia that serves as a backbone for at least ¼ of country’s population. Farmers used three morphological characters, two growth attributes, disease resistance and five use values traits in folk classification and characterization of enset. A total of 312 folk landraces have been identified. The number of landraces cultivated on individual farms ranged from one to twenty eight (mean of 8.08 ± 0.93). All ethnic groups in the study area use five use categories in order of importance: kocho yield and quality, bulla quality, amicho use, fiber quality and medicinal/ritual value. Of the 312 landraces 245 landraces having more than two use types. Management and maintenance of on-farm enset diversity is influenced by systematic propagation of the landraces, exchange of planting material and selective pressure. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the existing farmers’ knowledge on naming, classification and diversity should be complemented with maintenance of the creative dynamics of traditional knowledge and transmission of the knowledge are crucial for constructing sustainable management

Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interactions (AMMI) and genotype by environment interaction (GGE) biplot analyses aid selection of high yielding and adapted finger millet varieties

Background and justification: Lack of stable high yielding cultivars is one of the major bottlenecks for production and productivity of finger millets in Ethiopia. Identification of adaptable, stable and high yielding genotypes under varying environmental conditions prior to release as a cultivar is the first and foremost steps for plant breedingr and this has direct bearing on the adoption of the variety, its productivity and total production of the crop.Objective: The major objectives of the present study were to (i) assess the stability and yield performance of advanced finger millet genotypes  evaluated in multiple environments, and (ii) identify stable high yieldingcandidate cultivar (s) for possible release using different statistical tools.Material and methods: A total of 30 advanced finger millet genotypes were evaluated against two standard checks (Gute and Taddese) across four locations (Arsi Negele, Assosa, Bako and Gute) in 2012 and 2013 main cropping seasons. The trial was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated three times.Summary result and application of the study: Additive Main effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI), Genotype and Genotype by Environment interaction (GGE) biplot analysis and, Eberhart and Russellmodel revealed that Acc. 203544 is stable high yielding (3.16 ton ha-1) with a yield advantage of 13.7% over the best standard check, Gute (2.78 ton ha-1), and thus should be recommended for possible release with wider environmental adaptability. Acc. 242111 (3.08 ton ha-1), Acc. BKFM0051 (3.07 ton ha-1) and Acc.229738 (2.99 ton ha-1) were also high yielding, but showed narrow stability and thus should be recommended for verification and possible release for specific environments.Key words/phrases: Additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), Finger millet (Eleusine coracana subsp. coracana), Genotype by Environment Interaction (GEI

Isolation of Bacteriophage and Assessment of its Activity against Biofilms of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli in Jimma Town, South Western Ethiopia

Escherichia coli is one of the most commonly associated bacteria with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in humans and many times are antimicrobial resistant. Production of biofilms further makes matters worse in UTIs. Alternative therapy using bacteriophages was known in the past. This study was aimed to isolate lytic bacteriophages from sewage samples and assess their activity against biofilm of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC). Lytic phage was isolated from sewage water collected in Jimma town following standard enrichment method against UPEC. E. coli was isolated from UTI suspect patients using standard protocol. Microtiter plate technique was used to determine bacterial biofilm formation. Biofilm degrading efficacy of phage was assessed by treating biofilm developed on cover slip with standardized number of lytic phages or gentamicin compared with the control E. coli (untreated cells). Of 30 UPEC strains isolated from patients, 29 (96.6%) of them displayed biofilm forming phenotype. The strains with strongly biofilm positive were 76.6%. Generally, antibiotic resistance for biofilm producing E. coli was found to be high. Virulent phage (FJS4) was isolated which was effective against a strong biofilm former UPEC strain. Application of FJS4 phage or gentamicin to established biofilms have caused significant reduction of the cells within 3 hours of application and almost complete eradication of the cells within 36 hrs of incubation at 37°C. These results uphold the efficacy of phage against biofilm of UPEC and suggest that FJS4 phage may be a potential therapeutic alternative to antimicrobials on inanimate and animate surfaces

Review and synthesis of a walking machine (Robot) leg mechanism

A walking machine (robot) is a type of locomotion that operates by means of legs and/or wheels on rough terrain or flat surface. The performance of legged machines is greater than wheeled or tracked walking machines on an unstructured terrain. These types of machines are used for data collections in a variety of areas such as large agricultural sector, dangerous and rescue areas for a human. The leg mechanism of a walking machine has a different joint in which a number of motors are used to actuate all degrees of freedom of the legs. In the synthesis of walking machine reported in this article, the leg mechanism is developed using integration of linkages to reduce the complexity of the design and it enables the robot to walk on a rough terrain. The dimensional synthesis is carried out analytically to develop a parametric equation and the geometry of the developed leg mechanism is modelled. The mechanism used is found effective for rough terrain areas because it is capable to walk on terrain of different amplitudes due to surface roughness and aerodynamics.publishedVersio

Morphological characteristics and genetic diversity of Ethiopian sesame genotypes

Sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.) is produced worldwide, although more than 96% of the world sesame seed is produced in Africa and Asia. The objective of this study was to determine morphological properties and identify the genetic diversity of cultivated sesame genotypes grown in different parts of Ethiopia. Three hundred sesame genotypes collected from diverse ecologies of Ethiopia and introduced from different African and Asian countries, were used in this study. Genotypes showed wide variability for most morphological traits, except for plant growth type, leaf glands, anther filament colour, anther connective tip gland, and anthocyanin colouration of the capsule. Genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D2 statistics was computed, and the genotype lines were grouped into six different clusters. Clustering was not associated with the geographical distribution; instead genotypes were grouped mainly based on morphological differences. The lowest divergence was noticed between cluster I and V (10.06). Maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters IV and VI (D2 =342.56, followed by clusters I and VI (D2 =217.9783), and III with IV (D2 =190.8707). Maximum genetic recombination and variation in the subsequent generation, is expected from crosses that involve parents from the clusters characterised by maximum distances. Thus, maximum distances or varation could maximise opportunities for transgressive segregation, since unrelated genotypes would contribute unique desirable alleles at different loci.Le s\ue9same ( Sesamum indicum L.) est produit dans le monde entier, bien que plus de 96% de la graine de s\ue9same mondiale soit produite en Afrique et en Asie. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait de d\ue9terminer les propri\ue9t\ue9s morphologiques et d\u2019identifier la diversit\ue9 g\ue9n\ue9tique des g\ue9notypes de s\ue9same cultiv\ue9s dans diff\ue9rentes r\ue9gions d\u2019\uc9thiopie. Trois cents g\ue9notypes de s\ue9same collect\ue9s dans diverses \ue9cologies d\u2019\uc9thiopie et introduits dans diff\ue9rents pays africains et asiatiques ont \ue9t\ue9 utilis\ue9s dans cette \ue9tude. Les g\ue9notypes ont montr\ue9 une grande variabilit\ue9 pour la plupart des caract\ue8res morphologiques, \ue0 l\u2019exception du type de croissance des plantes, des glandes foliaires, de la couleur du filament d\u2019anth\ue8re, de la glande de l\u2019extr\ue9mit\ue9 conjonctive de l\u2019anth\ue8re et de la coloration anthocyanique de la capsule. La divergence g\ue9n\ue9tique \ue0 l\u2019aide des statistiques de Mahalanobis D2 a \ue9t\ue9 calcul\ue9e, et les lign\ue9es g\ue9notypiques ont \ue9t\ue9 regroup\ue9es en six groupes diff\ue9rents. Le regroupement n\u2019\ue9tait pas associ\ue9 \ue0 la r\ue9partition g\ue9ographique; au lieu de cela, les g\ue9notypes ont \ue9t\ue9 regroup\ue9s principalement en fonction des diff\ue9rences morphologiques. La divergence la plus faible a \ue9t\ue9 observ\ue9e entre les grappes I et V (10,06). La distance maximale d\u2018 inter-grappes a \ue9t\ue9 observ\ue9e entre les grappes IV et VI (D2 = 342,56, suivie des grappes I et VI (D2 = 217,9783) et III avec IV (D2 = 190,8707). La recombinaison g\ue9n\ue9tique maximale et la variation dans la g\ue9n\ue9ration suivante est attendu de croisements qui impliquent des parents des grappes caract\ue9ris\ue9es par des distances maximales. Ainsi, les distances maximales ou la variation pourraient maximiser les possibilit\ue9s de s\ue9gr\ue9gation transgressive, puisque des g\ue9notypes non apparent\ue9s apporteraient des all\ue8les uniques souhaitables \ue0 diff\ue9rents locus