The profitability of maize–haricot bean intercropping techniques to control maize stem borers under low pest densities in Ethiopia

Lepidopteran stem borers are the main pests of cereals in Ethiopia. In recent years, habitat management techniques, which aim at increasing plant biodiversity through mixed cropping, have gained increased attention in stem borer control. In the present study, the profitability of mixed cropping of maize with haricot beans at different ratios and the effect on infestation of maize by stem borers, yield and borer parasitism were studied in Melkassa and Mieso, Ethiopia, in a field experiment under natural infestation. In Melkassa, pest infestations were too low for the cropping system to affect pests, plant damage and yields significantly, whereas in Mieso, where the pest densities were high, intercropping of maize with beans at ratios of 1:1 to 2:1 significantly decreased borer densities compared with pure maize stands. Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and Cotesia flavipes. (Cameron) were the major stem borer and parasitoid species, respectively, recorded both at Melkassa and Mieso. Borer parasitism was higher at Mieso than at Melkassa and tended to increase with the increase of the haricot bean ratio in the intercropping system. Land equivalent ratios of >1 indicated higher land use efficiency in mixed compared with sole cropping, even if pest densities were low.     

Survey of ixodid ticks in domestic ruminants in Bedelle district,Southwestern Ethiopia

A survey aimed at determining the status of ticks in cattle, sheep and goats in Bedelle district (Southwestern Ethiopia) was carried out from November 2007 to April 2008. Out of the total 330 animals examined, 314 (95.2%) were found to be infested (harbouring of at least a single tick). High rates of infestations were recorded across all three host species. Factors like month of collection, age and sex of host species did not show significant association with infestation rates. A total of 5,507 ticks belonging to three genera (i.e. Amblyomma, Boophilus and Rhipicephalus) were collected during the study period of which six species were identified. The species of ticks encountered comprise of Amblyomma cohaerens (44.1%), Amblyomma variegatum (13.8%), Amblyomma lepidum (1.2%), Boophilus decoloratus (24.9%), Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi (14.3%) and Rhipicephalus lunulatus (1.7%). As about 86.7% (4,772) of the ticks were collected from cattle, it was recognised that this could be an evidence of host preference where cattle are serving as principal host while sheep and goats serve as alternative hosts. The role of ecological factors and little attention paid by livestock owners for treatment of animals against ticks are suggested to result in the abundance of ticks. Acaricide spraying should be strategically applied to control ticks. Better result could be achieved if an emphasis is being put on spraying cattle. Studies on tick-borne diseases, involvement of wildlife species as well as related factors are recommended as they may provide a valuable basis for designing and launching an all-round control programme in the country.     

Genetic analyses of early-expressed reproduction traits of Boran and their crosses with Holstein Friesian and Jersey in Central Highlands of Ethiopia

The study was conducted to assess early-expressed reproductive traits of Boran cattle and their crosses with Jersey and Holstein Friesian (HF). The traits studied were age at first services (AFS), number of services for first conception, age at first calving (AFC), first dry period (FDP), first calving interval (FCI), and first service period (FSP). Genetic group and period of birth/calving had a significant (p?<?0.05) effect on reproductive traits. The Boran cattle were inferior to HF or Jersey crosses. First crosses (F ₁) for Jersey and Boran (50 % Jersey: 50 % Boran) showed a significantly (p?<?0.05) younger AFS (by 7.25 months) and AFC (by 10.75 months), had shorter FCI (by 63.27 days), FDP (by 61.13 days), and FSP (by 60.3 days), and needed less (by 0.35) numbers of services per first conception as compared to the Boran cattle. The F ₁ for Jersey and Boran (50 % Jersey: 50 % Boran) crosses showed better performance than the F ₁ for HF and Boran (50 % HF: 50 % Boran). Heritability values for AFS and AFC were the highest and were estimated at 0.51?±?0.10 and 0.49?±?0.13, respectively, and lowest heritability was recorded for FDP (0.02?±?020) and FSP (0.10?±?0.29). The genetic correlation was highest (0.10?±?0.20) between AFS and AFC and was lowest (?0.01?±?0.66) between FCI and FSP. The breed additive for Jersey was only significant (p?<?0.01) for AFS and AFC. The crossing of HF with Boran cattle has desirably reduced 9.16?±?2.88 months in AFS; the corresponding reduction in AFS was 3.49?±?3.59 months by crossing with Jersey. The performance comparisons and genetic and crossbreeding parameters indicated that crossbreeding of Boran with HF or Jersey can improve reproductive performance.     

Species Diversity in Wheat Landrace Populations from two Regions of Ethiopia

Wheat (Triticum spp.) landrace populations in Ethiopia are mostly species mixtures. However, no quantitative data is available with regard to their species components. We studied here 32 wheat landrace populations originating from two regions (Bale and Wello). A total of 2559 individual plants, 45–110 plants representing each population, were classified into their species components. Five tetraploid (2n = 4x = 28) and one hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) wheat species were found in mixtures of varying proportions. These included the tetraploids Triticum durum Desf., Triticum turgidum L., Triticum aethiopicum Jakubz., Triticum polonicum L., Triticum dicoccon Schrank and the hexaploid Triticum aestivum L. Also found, however in a rare frequency, in two populations from Wollo was T. durum Desf. convar. durocompactoides Flaksb. (Triticum pyramidale Percival), which is a very dense spiked durum. Discriminant analysis using seven qualitative traits revealed 91.5% correct classification of the wheat species, beak awn and awn length with the most significant importance. Single species were found in eight of the populations; six were for T. durum and two for T. aethiopicum. Two to three species-combinations were the most frequent; a maximum of four species was recorded in one population. The highest diversity index (H′) observed was 0.44. T. durum was the most predominant species. The hexaploid T. aestivum was found in nine of the Wollo populations and, in one population, its frequency reached up to 35.5%. On altitudinal basis, no clear trend of clinal variation was observed both from the frequency distributions and H′ estimates. The results confirmed that Ethiopian wheats, despite the morphological overlaps, could be classified into their species components with high degree of certainty. For the future, therefore, genetic diversity estimations should be dissolved into their species components for more expeditious utilization and conservation of this important genetic resource.     

Zymogram patterns of α-amylase isozymes inEthiopian tetraploid wheat landraces: insight into their evolutionaryhistory and evidence for gene flow

The variation for -amylaseisozymes was analyzed in 71 tetraploid wheat (AABB genome)landraces from Ethiopia, including accessions of Triticumdicoccon Shrank, T.turgidum L., T.durum Desf., T.pyramidale Percival and T.aethiopicum Jakubz., by thin-layerpolyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing. Four zymogram phenotypeswere obtained from all the materials studied. Except inT. dicoccon, however, thestandard pattern of the durum wheat variety, LD222, was predominant.T. dicoccon showed twozymogram types that differed for the absence or consistently weakactivity of band 18(-Amy-B1)of the malt type. Band 1(-Amy-B3)of the malt type was fixed in T.dicoccon and present in only 10% of thefree-threshing (FT) types. Generally, the resultsindicated that the variation for-amylase isozymes in cultivatedtetraploid wheats, including landraces from secondary centers, is lowpossibly due to the founder effect or as a result of selection. Thedata were useful for inferences about the evolutionary history ofEthiopian wheat landraces. It is speculated thatT. dicoccon was the firstwheat to arrive in the Ethiopian highlands ca.5000 years ago. However, it is not known whether the present day FTEthiopian tetraploid wheat landraces are direct descendants ofT. dicoccon, or whetherthey were introduced independently. The clear differences in-amylase zymogram patterns favor the latterhypothesis. However, the presence of band1 in some of the FT types indicated the occurrence of geneflow between the FT types and T.dicoccon, which may also explain thequantitative nature of spike threshability in these landraces.Possible implications for durum wheat breeding arediscussed.     

Human–wildlife conflict and attitude of local people towards conservation of wildlife in Chebera Churchura National Park,Ethiopia

Human–wildlife conflict is a serious challenge undermining the integrity of protected areas in developing countries. Developing effective human–wildlife conflict mitigation strategies requires an understanding of the conflict patterns, species involved and attitudes of local people living along protected area boundaries. We hypothesised that (1) there was a high level of human–wildlife conflict and (2) the local people would have less favourable attitudes towards problematic wild animals. We assessed patterns of human–wildlife conflict and attitudes of local people along the boundary of Chebera Churchura National Park, Ethiopia from 2012 to 2014. A total of 354 households were selected randomly for interview. A questionnaire survey, focus group discussions and direct field observations were carried out in the selected villages. The major types of human?wildlife conflict in the area include crop raiding, livestock predation, increased risk of livestock diseases and direct threats to human life. A majority of the respondents (68.1%) faced crop damage and domestic animal loss, 12.3% reported threat to humans and 0.3% reported that the wildlife might cause diseases. Close proximity of the villages to the park and seasons influenced livestock predation intensity with highest predation in the wet season (56.0%). To mitigate these problems, the local people utilised various traditional methods, including guarding. Most respondents had positive attitudes towards the conservation of wildlife. However, as the frequency of conflicts increased in the last five years, the attitudes of local people might change. Active measures are to be implemented to mitigate the problem and safeguard the future of the wildlife around the park. The park has enormous potential to benefit more local people by implementing a participatory management approach to conservation.     

Determination of organic materials quality based on nutrient recovery,mineral fertilizer equivalency and maize (Zea mays L.) allometry

Crop production in Sub-Saharan Africa is primarily limited by soil fertility decline. In view of this, the fertilizer value of locally available organic materials (OMs) was assessed for their nutrient release to crop growth. Crop residues and farmyard manure (FYM) were evaluated along with mineral fertilizers to grow a test crop maize variety – Gibe 2. The maize allometric parameters, nutrient ratios (NRs), nutrient recovery (NRy) and mineral fertilizer equivalency (MFE) were used to assess the mineral fertilizer value (MFV) of OMs. MFE of OMs was estimated as the available mineral N and P out of the fraction of total nitrogen and phosphorus applied relative to mineral fertilizers supply. The results revealed that maize allometry, NRy and MFE were significantly influenced by fertilizer sources. OM amendment resulted in poor maize allometry and low NRy. Interestingly, MFE of OM amended ranged from ?201% with chickpea (CHP) residue to 63% with FYM. The results demonstrate that CHP has the poorest quality, while FYM is a good-quality OM as a fertilizer source.     

Determinants of farmers' willingness to pay for soil conservation practices in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia

This paper examines the determinants of farmers' willingness to pay for soil conservation practices in the highlands of Bale, southeast Ethiopia. The paper is based on analysis of data collected from 100 randomly selected household heads. The study applied Contingent Valuation Method for the purpose of eliciting farmers' valuation of soil conservation practices in terms of both cash payment and labour contribution. The results reveal that farmers in the study area are less willing to pay cash for soil conservation measures. In terms of labour contribution, however, it was found that they are willing to spend a substantial amount of time per week. Results from logistic regression analysis show that farmers' decisions to participate in soil conservation practices are influenced by a host of factors. The implication is that taking these factors into account while planning soil conservation measures enables policy makers to come up with projects that win acceptance by the local people. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.