Abstract: two pot and one field experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 to determine mineral nutrition of parthenium compost and fresh residue by different composting techniques and application methods in combination with NP fertilizers. The experiment on effect of parthenium compost types and NP fertilizer on growth, yield attributes and yield of barley comprised three types of parthenium composts [normal, effective microorganism (EM) enriched and vermicompost] each at 2.5 and 5.0 t ha-...
Abstract: A field experiment was conducted on farmer’s field during 2016 cropping season at Fedis Eastern Ethiopia. The experiment was aimed at assessing the effect of forage legumes population densities intercropped with sorghum on forage yield and to evaluate the effect of forage legumes intercropped with sorghum on yield components and yield of sorghum. Sorghum variety, ‘Teshale’ at its recommended population rate of 66,666.6667 plants/ha and two forage legumes (cowpea and lablab) w...
Abstract: The production of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) has been increasing in Ethiopia because of its high nutritive value for food and feed. Nevertheless, the yield is extremely low. One of the agronomic practices to increase its productivity is use of optimum plant density. However, there has been no recommended plant spacing regardless of variety and agro-climatic conditions. In view of this, a field experiment was conducted at Sirinka Agricultural research center, northern Ethiopia, d...
Abstract: An experiment was conducted at Haramaya University, eastern Ethiopia in 2019 main cropping season, to assess the response of chickpea varieties to Rhizobium and P fertilizer rate. The study was conducted to assess the effect of phosphorus fertilizers and Sinorhizobium ciceri inoculation, on growth, nodulation, yield components and yield of chickpea varieties at Haramaya, East Ethiopia and to evaluate the cost -benefit of inoculation and phosphorus fertilizer for chickpea production...
Abstract: The author was born on September 5, 1971 at 11 Woreda, Kolife Keraniyo Sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He attended his primary school at Paulus Elementary School, between 1979 and 1986. He also attended secondary and high school education at Mengistu Hailemariam Secondary School between 1987 and 1990. Then he joined Jimma College of Agriculture in September 1990 and graduated with Diploma in General Agriculture in 1992. After his graduation, he joined Hulet Eju Enebse (Mota) Wored...
Abstract: Tef is a highly valued crop in the national diet of Ethiopians and the major crops grown in Southern Ethiopia. However, its productivity is constrained by low plant-available soil nutrients due to depleting soil organic matter content and long history of intensive cultivation. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out Tambaro district during the 2019 main cropping season with the objective of:to assess the combined responses of N and blended NPSB fertilizer rates on growth, yie...
Abstract: Non-farm activities by rural farm households in general and women in particular are gaining importance in most developing economies due to the increasing inability of the farm sector to support rural livelihoods. This study aimed at identifying the pastoralists and Agro- pastoralists’ women participation in non-farm income generating activities in Degahbour district of Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. It helped in identifying factors which are essential to design policies for pro...
Abstract: Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is a globally significant pest of Brassicaceae crops that has attracted enormous research investment. It is typical of many agricultural pests, with insecticides remaining the most common method of control, despite frequent cases of resistance in pest populations and the potential for other management options such as natural enemies to provide suppression. Here we review scope to make better use of neglected natural enemy taxa and integrate re...
Abstract: Background and Objective: Brachiaria, a warm season C4 grass, is rapidly gaining popularity as fodder crop in Africa where it is also used as a component of a habitat management strategy for maize stem borers. However, increasing drought limits productivity of this grass species. The aim of this study was to evaluate and select high yielding brachiaria genotypes under simulated drought conditions. Materials and Methods: The morphological and physiological performance of 18 apomicti...
Abstract: Brachiaria (Urochloa) is a genus, common name brachiaria, of forage grasses that is increasingly transforming integrated crop-livestock production systems in East Africa. A study was undertaken to (i) assess smallholder farmers’ perception on benefits of brachiaria in cereal-livestock production, (ii) identify brachiaria production constraints, and (iii) identify farmer preferred brachiaria genotypes. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for sample selection. Data were co...
Abstract: Nitrogen fertilisation and plant spacing hold potential for the integrated management of rice insect pests. Field experiments were conducted in Kilombero, Tanzania to evaluate the effects of plant spacing and nitrogenous fertiliser on incidences and density of spotted and African pink stem borers. A 3 × 4 × 4 factorial experiment was used in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments included application of urea fertiliser at four levels (0, 40...
Abstract: Mobile smartphones, open-source set tools, and mobile applications have provided vast opportunities for timely, accurate, and seamless data collection, aggregation, storage, and analysis of agricultural data in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In this paper, we advanced and demonstrated the practical use and application of a mobile smartphone-based tool, i.e., the Open Data Kit (ODK), to assemble and keep track of real-time maize (Zea mays L.) phenological data in three SSA countries. Far...
Abstract: Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda J.E Smith, (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a serious invasive pest of maize that has been established in Kenya since 2016. Little is known about its co-occurrence with resident stemborers, relative infestation and damage and how agronomic factors influence its infestation and damage in maize cropping systems across different agro-ecological zones. This study assessed FAW co-occurrence with resident stemborers, relative infestation and damage a...
Abstract: Termites have gained importance as major pests in cocoa agroforests. Proper identi‐fication of termite species and knowledge on their functional diversity are the first steps in developing environmentally compatible management strategies. We tested the hypothesis that patterns of termite species richness in different cocoa agrofor‐ests is related to responses by termite functional groups to changes in shade man‐agement. We compared termite assemblages under five cocoa agrofor...
Abstract: Pollination services and honeybee health in general are important in the African savannahs particularly to farmers who often rely on honeybee products as a supplementary source of income. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the floral cycle, abundance and spatial distribution of melliferous plants in the African savannah landscapes. Furthermore, placement of apiaries in the landscapes could benefit from information on spatiotemporal patterns of flowering plants, by optimising...