Evaluating the Effect of Integrated Use of Farm Yard Manure and Urea on the Yield &Yield components Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) in the Low Land Irrigated Areas of North western Tigray, Ethiopia

The prevailing higher prices of inorganic fertilizer along with low nutrient value and shortage of organic nutrient sources like Farm Yard Manure (FYM) has become a main problem in managing soil fertility problems, especially for resource poor farmers. So, integrated use of organic and inorganic plant nutrient sources help to overcome problems with the sole application and have more rewarding on stability in production and in maintaining soil fertility. Based on this, a field experiment was conducted to study the effect of integrated use of organic (FYM) and inorganic (Urea) plant nutrient sources on yield and yield components of irrigated tomato(Lycopersicon esculentum Mill),in Tselemti wereda, May ani site during the 2012/13 off season time. Organic (FYM) and inorganic (Urea) nutrient sources was integrated in different proportions to supply 60Kgha-1 of Nitrogen (N) from both sources at different ratios. The treatment combinations are T1 (control or with no fertilizer), T2 (100%IF), T3 (25% FYM+75%IF), T4 (50%FYM+50IF), T5 (75%FYM+25%IF) & T6 (100%FYM).Phosphorus was applied at a recommended rate in the form of TSP, adjusted on the basis of phosphorus present in the soil and FYM. The experiment was arranged in RCB Design with four replications. Tomato (variety; Roma VF) was used. Top soil (0-30cm) was sampled before transplanting& after harvest and analyzed for selected soil properties and FYM also analyzed for its chemical composition prior to its application. The results revealed that there was a significant difference in tomato marketable yield and fruit parameters recorded among the treatments. Integrated use of FYM and Urea N sources in 25:75 ratios produced the maximum marketable yield (375.4Qlha-1), fruit yield/plant (2.37Kg),& fruit number/plant (32) and fruit diameter (4.67cm) of tomato followed by plots fertilized with 50:50 ratios.. From this study, it can be concluded that, combined application of FYM with Urea at (25:75&50:50 ratios) significantly increased the tomato yield than other combinations. Therefore, it is recommended to use these combinations for tomato producers of Tselemti wereda for better tomato yield and sustainable soil fertility. Keywords: FYM, Inorganic, Integrated, Organic, Soil fertility, Tomato, Urea, Yield, Sole applicatio

Evaluating The Effect of Integrated Use of Farm Yard Manure and Urea on the Socio economic Performance of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) at Tselemti Woreda, North western Tigray, Ethiopia.

As compared to the potential productivity & national average yield of the crop, farmers in Tselemti ‘woreda ‘are not getting as much tomato yield /profit as expected, because of the low soil fertility & un proper soil management practices. To mitigate the problem farmers commonly use a blanket recommendation of inorganic fertilizers. But currently most farmers are not applying inorganic fertilizers at recommended rates, because of the high price of inorganic fertilizers. Hence, use of FYM would be un avoidable, particularly for resource poor farmers. However FYM alone may not be enough to meet the nutrient requirements of high yielding tomato varieties. So, integrated use of organic and inorganic plant nutrient sources help to overcome problems with the sole application and have more economic profit. This study was therefore conducted with the objective of evaluating the economic feasibility of combined use of FYM & Urea nutrient sources in tomato production & assessing farmer’s perception on the use & advantage for sustainable &better tomato production, in Tselemti wereda, May ani site during the 2012/13 off season time. Organic (FYM) and inorganic (Urea) nutrient sources was integrated in different proportions to supply 60Kgha-1 of Nitrogen (N) from both sources at different ratios. The treatment combinations are T1 (control or with no fertilizer), T2 (100%IF), T3 (25% FYM+75%IF), T4 (50%FYM+50IF), T5 (75%FYM+25%IF) & T6 (100%FYM).Three ‘kebeles’ and 72 farmers was surveyed for the perception data. The partial budget analysis revealed that maximum net of return (59902.45) Birr/ha was recorded in treatments that receive 25% N from FYM in conjunction with 75% N from IF sources followed by 50%N from FYM and 50%IF with a net return of 56,386birrha-1and 23,862.45 and 15,896.5 net return over the control. The Perception of the respondent farmers also indicates that 94.4% of the answered farmers use inorganic fertilizers in tomato production, but 48.61% of them were responded use of inorganic fertilizer in tomato production is not economically feasible and 44.4% use an integration of both nutrient sources for better tomato productivity. The overall study revealed that a combined application of FYM with Urea at (25:75 and 50:50 ratios) significantly increased economic profit in tomato production. Therefore, it is recommended for tomato producers of Tselemti wereda for profitable & acceptable tomato production.

Evaluating the Effect of Integrated Use of Farm Yard Manure and Urea on Major Soil Chemical Properties in the Low Land Irrigated Areas of North western Tigray, Ethiopia

Soil fertility deterioration is becoming a major constraint for higher crop production in Tigray. The prevailing higher prices of inorganic fertilizer along with low nutrient value and shortage of organic nutrient sources like Farm Yard Manure (FYM) has become a main problem in managing soil fertility problems, especially for resource poor farmers. So, integrated use of organic and inorganic plant nutrient sources help to overcome problems with the sole application and have more rewarding on maintaining better soil fertility. Based on this, a field experiment was conducted to study the effect of integrated use of organic (FYM) and inorganic (Urea) plant nutrient sources on soil fertility improvements in Tselemti wereda, May ani site during the 2012/13 off season time. Organic (FYM) and inorganic (Urea) nutrient sources was integrated in different proportions to supply 60Kgha-1 of Nitrogen (N) from both sources at different ratios. The treatment combinations are T1 (control or with no fertilizer), T2 (100%IF), T3 (25% FYM+75%IF), T4 (50%FYM+50IF), T5 (75%FYM+25%IF) & T6 (100%FYM).Phosphorus was applied at a recommended rate in the form of TSP, adjusted on the basis of phosphorus present in the soil and FYM. The experiment was arranged in RCB Design with four replications per treatment. Tomato (variety; Roma VF) was planted in rows. FYM used for the experiment was well decomposed and one year old. Top soil (0-30cm)and FYM were sampled before transplanting tomato seedlings and similarly after harvest soil was sampled and analyzed for its major chemical composition in the laboratory.The results of the experiment showed that the integrated use of FYM and Urea in different proportions significantly increased soil pH, Organic carbon, CEC, ava.P, Total N and ava.K.(p< 0.05). Comparing fertilized treatments most of the soil parameters were better in treatments where N from FYM source was above 50%.The overall study revealed that a combined application of FYM with Urea at (25:75 and 50:50 ratios) not only significantly improve soil fertility but also  increase  marketable tomato yield and economic profit. Therefore, it is recommended for tomato producers of Tselemti wereda for profitable tomato yield and sustainable soil fertility. Keywords: FYM, Inorganic, Integrated, Organic, Soil fertility, Tomato, Urea, Yield, Sole applicatio

Controlling wind induced motion in high-rise structures

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 58).by Dereje Assefa.M.Eng

Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Integrated Watershed Management in Sheka Watershed, Ethiopia.

Integrated watershed management (IWSM) was taken as the basic operational unit to rehabilitate degraded watershed and improve agricultural productivity in Ethiopia. However, its effectiveness was rarely evaluated. Therefore, this study assessed the contribution of IWSM in selected socio-economic benefits in Sheka watershed, Ethiopia. Crop grain yield measurements and questionnaire survey data collection methods were employed. Statistical methods were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that there were significantly higher teff and sorghum grain yields in the treated sub-watershed than the untreated one. Milk yield of local dairy cow and honey bee yield was increased by 12.3% and 24.24%, respectively, after IWSM. Annual household income of downstream beneficiaries of the watershed was significantly higher than upstream beneficiaries. The highest annual income was recorded from the users of both improved livestock and irrigation. The most determinant factors for household annual income were irrigation access, livestock number, cultivated land and off-farm income. The average contribution of income generating activities of IWSM in household annual income was 31.3%. Therefore, IWSM is not only effective in increasing crop and livestock production but also it has high contribution in household annual income.  But high focus should be given to the upper beneficiaries of the watershed so as to minimize the income difference between the upper and lower beneficiaries. Thus, it is better to introduce IWSM in to the untreated watershed. Key words: Integrated watershed management, upstream, downstream, Sheka watershed

Ecological Benefits of Integrated Watershed Management: The Case of Sheka Watershed, Ethiopia

Watershed degradation through soil erosion is one of the main constraints for agricultural productivity. Integrated watershed management (IWSM) was taken as the basic operational unit to tackle this problem. However, its effectiveness in rehabilitation of degraded watershed was rarely evaluated. Therefore, this research was conducted in Sheka watershed, Ethiopia, with the objective of assessing impact of IWSM on selected ecological benefits. Land map units of treated and untreated sub-watersheds were prepared using Geographic Information System software. Sixteen plots with 20m x 20m were randomly formed in the land map units of the two sub-watersheds for soil and woody plants sampling. The results revealed that there were significantly higher woody plants density and diversity, total nitrogen, soil organic matter, available phosphorous and available potassium contents in the treated sub-watershed than the untreated one. Whereas, in terms of soil pH, soil texture and evenness of woody species, the two areas were not significantly different. Total nitrogen was positively and significantly correlated with soil organic matter, woody plants density and diversity. Therefore, IWSM is not only effective in restoring woody species density and diversity, but also in improving soil fertility status. Thus, it is better to introduce IWSM in to the untreated watershed. Keywords: Integrated watershed management, woody plants, treated, untreate

Bibliography of the Literatures on Tuberculosis, TB/HIV and MDRTB in Ethiopia from 2001 – 2017

Ethiopia is among the thirty-high tuberculosis (TB) burden countries with multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and Tuberculosis/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (TB/HIV). Given the public health importance of the problem, it is apparent that probing the work done in this regard is essential to mitigate the problem and thus we reviewed research repositories and compile directories of researches in Ethiopia from Jan 1, 2001 to Dec 30, 2017 in order to avail evidence-based information to stakeholders and beneficiaries intervening the problem in the country. The evidences generated in this bibliography are through different databases and websites using key terms. A range of different published and unpublished literatures (journal articles, conference presentations, reports/manual/book, and graduate theses or dissertations) on TB, MDR-TB, extensively drug resistant TB (XDR-TB), or TB/HIV are presented. We presented literatures by four themes (Biomedical and clinical researches, epidemiological researches, operational or implementation researches, and health systems researches). A total of 1571 researches and reports were accessed through the above search engines and revealed 635 epidemiological researches followed by 538 clinical or biomedical researches, 257 operational or implementation research, and 141 health systems research. Interestingly, up to 2008 clinical or biomedical researchers were the leading researches and from 2009 onwards, epidemiological researches held the largest constituency. In conclusion, TB or TB/HIV and MDR-TB literatures in Ethiopia have substantially increased over years. Referred journal publications took theleading source and epidemiologic studies were the commonest one. We suggest the need to focus on operational or implementation and health system researches to plummet the disease spreading, drug resistance and impact. We also recommend a regular update of the bibliography every 3 to 4 years with annotations

Milk yield and quality of crossbred dairy cows fed with different levels of vetch (Vicia dasycarpa) hay and concentrate on a basal diet of fresh cut napier grass (Penissetium purpureum)

This study was conducted to examine the effect of different levels of vetch hay (Vicia dasycarpa) supplementation on feed intake, milk yield and milk composition of 50:50 Boran-Freisian crossbred dairy cows fed a basal diet of napier grass (Penissetium purpureum). Five crossbred dairy cows at an early stage of lactation with average milk yield of 6 – 8 liters/cow/day and body weight of 390 ±15 kg (mean±STD) were arranged in a 5*5 latin square design. In the first 4 treatments, napier grass was fed ad libitum as basal diet, while in T5 (the control diet) native hay was the basal diet. In treatment 1, 2 and 3 vetch hay was supplemented at 20% (2.4 kg), 30% (3.6 kg) and 40% (4.8 kg) replacement of the total daily DM intake, respectively. In T4 and T5 concentrate mix (55% wheat bran, 43% noug seed cake (Gizotia abysinica) and 2% salt) was supplemented at the rate of 0.5 kg per liter of milk produced. Total dry matter intake differed among treatments in the order of T4>T3=T5>T2>T1. Milk yield was greater for concentrate supplemented treatments compared with the vetch supplemented ones, and was similar (P>0.05) among the different level of vetch supplemented groups. Milk fat and protein were not affected (P>0.05) by treatments. In general this study indicated that optimum milk production (8.81 liter/cow/day) can be obtained with the use of napier grass supplemented with 2.4 kg/cow/day vetch hay dry matter