Diversified Investments of Wealthy Ethiopian Pastoralists Include Livestock and Urban Assets That Better Manage Risk

The Borana pastoral system has long been regarded as a model for sustainable resource use in eastern Africa. Recent growth in human and livestock populations, however, has contributed to a marked decline in rangeland condition, as well as increasing poverty. Another trend is fewer pastoralists controlling more resources. Today, for example, only 10% of households own 60% of all livestock. This wealthy minority has become increasingly important but has received little research attention. We wanted to learn how such elites perceive system change and how they innovate when accumulating or managing their assets. Twelve wealthy men were interviewed. They noted that the pastoral system is in sharp decline, with the most serious livestock-production constraints including chronic shortages of forage and labor. The average value of the physical and financial assets held by these men was estimated as at least USD $164,000, about 62-times that held by poor households. The average investment portfolio was composed of livestock (two-thirds of total value), while savings accounts in local banks and urban real estate (largely housing) made up the remainder. Livestock in general—and cattle in particular—were the riskiest physical assets given recurrent effects of drought and forage scarcity on animal productivity and mortality. When asked to identify future investment priorities, the men said that investing in urban real estate and their children was now preferred to investing in more livestock; their tradition of steady livestock reinvestment has thus changed. Recent urban growth in the rangelands has given the wealthy elite new investment options that offset heightened risks of animal losses. Urban investments are important because they could facilitate town development and provide incentives to improve range management via destocking. Outreach programs focused on the diversification of pastoral assets could include wealthy pastoralists as opinion leaders and accelerate positive change here.     

Evaluating spawning performance among captive Florida pompano Trachinotus carolinus broodstock using microsatellite‐based parentage assignment

Florida pompano has been identified as a promising candidate for commercial‐scale aquaculture production, but to date, little information is available regarding captive broodstock spawning characteristics. Genetic markers were tested for their power in monitoring mating outcomes and potential in analysing heritability of rapid growth trait in Trachinotus carolinus. A total of 20 unrelated adults (10 females and 10 males) were chosen for a hormone‐induced mass spawning event. The 515 fastest growing and 485 slowest growing fish of the total 4852 offspring were considered a selected progeny stock, and fish were collected at 45 days post hatch based on their growth traits. Parentage analyses based on the 20 breeders and 1,000 selected progeny were performed using a total of nine microsatellite markers, a 100% assignment rate was achieved, and a four‐marker set was the minimum number for the parentage assignment. The effective breeding number for the selected progeny was 11 (six females and five males), among which three females and two males were predominant contributors with the total contribution of 95.8% and 94.7% respectively. The proportion of fast‐growing offspring from broodfish and each mating cross (sire/dam) was used for detecting whether variation in growth of the offspring was related to parental stocks. Results showed that three adults and their mated combination exhibited the greatest fast‐growing offspring proportion (69.73% and 55.95%). This research provided new information regarding spawning performance and parental contribution during mass spawning events; both important first steps towards developing improved management strategies for captive Florida pompano broodstock.     

Specific Gravity, Dry Matter Concentration, pH, and Crisp-making Potential of Ethiopian Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivars as Influenced by Growing Environment and Length of Storage Under Ambient Conditions

A study was conducted to investigate the influence of genotype, growing environment and storage period on postharvest quality of seven released potato cultivars grown at Adet (2240 masl), Chilga (2270 masl), and Dabat (2620 masl), northwest Ethiopia in 2006. Cured tubers of each cultivar from each location were stored at ambient conditions for 8 weeks in a locally constructed dark room in Adet, the location with the highest temperatures. The quality of the tubers and the crisps prepared from them was evaluated at weekly intervals. Tubers from cvs Jalenie, Guassa, and Zengena had a high specific gravity (1.088–1.094) and dry matter percentage (26.2–27.1%) when grown in Dabat and Chilga, and a lower specific gravity (1.064–1.072) and dry matter percentage (22.3-22.7%) when grown in Adet. These cultivars produced crisps with a taste value of 8 (like very much) when grown in Chilga and Dabat and of almost 7 (like moderately) when grown in Adet. There was a progressive reduction in specific gravity, dry matter percentage, and taste of crisps with increase in storage time. Cultivars with higher dry matter concentration maintained a better quality than cultivars with a lower dry matter concentration. Across growing locations and cultivars, 57% of the crisps samples were white to cream colored, 33.3% light tan and 9.5% dark tan after 1 week of storage, whereas after 6 weeks of storage none of the cultivars produced white cream colored crisps. It is reasonable to conclude that cvs Jalenie, Guassa, and Zengena can produce tubers with a high dry matter percentage under Chilga and Dabat conditions, from which acceptable crisps can be prepared from tubers stored up to 6 weeks under ambient conditions.     

埃塞俄比亚低地竹子(锐药竹)的解剖特征对其物理机械性能的影响

本文旨在评估锐药竹的解剖特征对其物理机械性能的影响。从埃塞俄比亚的天然竹林中选取了3个不同龄级(2年、3年和4年)竹子,共45枝。结果显示,龄级和秆高对纤维长度、纤维直径和纤维壁厚有重要影响,对微管束密度影响则不大。此外,纤维长度,纤维直径和微管束尺寸对竹秆的物理机械特性有很大影响。秆龄和竹秆高度对密度和含水量的影响很大。密度随秆龄而增加,含水量随秆龄的增加而减少。竹秆中部的断裂模数和弹性模数的值较高。但秆上部的这两个数值较低。竹秆的抗压强度随秆龄和秆高的增长而减弱。相关性分析结果表明,纤维长度,纤维直径和纤维壁厚与密度呈正相关,与含水量呈负相关。除纤维壁厚与收缩呈负相关外,所有解剖参数与径向收缩呈无关。结果进一步显示,密度与断裂模数呈正相关,与弹性模数呈负相关。纤维长度也表明与MOE正相关。纤维直径和微管束尺寸与抗压强度呈正相关,与含水量则呈负相关。     

Efficacy of dose-dependent indigenous microbial insecticides against cotton aphid,Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) at various temperature regimes

Strain selection based on temperature may be warranted when choosing an isolate for development as a microbial control agent. To this end, the effects of three temperature regimes, namely 20, 25 and 30°C, on the virulence of four Beauveria and two Metarhizium isolates against the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, were investigated under controlled conditions, 65–70% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 12:12 (light: dark) hours. The isolates did vary significantly in their activities of efficacy over a range of temperatures. The highest mortality and lowest survival times were observed at 25°C for DLCO41 and at 30°C for DLCO87; while mortality decreased and survival time increased at temperatures of 20°C. Besides the tested fungal isolate DLCO87 had the lowest LC₅₀ value (6.84 × 10⁵ conidia mL^?1) at 30°C. The promising result of this study should enable us to conduct further studies to determine the potential use of the fungus as an agent against Aphis gossypii both in greenhouse and under field conditions.     

Effect of stocking density on the growth performance and yield of Nile tilapia [Oreochromis niloticus (L., 1758)] in a cage culture system in Lake Kuriftu,Ethiopia

This research was conducted to investigate the effect of stocking density on the growth performance and yield of Oreochromis niloticus in cage culture in Lake Kuriftu. The treatments had stocking densities of 50 (50F), 100 (100F), 150 (150F), and 200 (200F) fish per m^?3. All treatments were in duplicate. Juveniles with an average weight of 45. 76±0.25 g were stocked in the treatments. The fish were fed a composite mixture of mill sweeping, cotton seed, and Bora food complex at 2% of their body weight twice per day using feeding trays for 150 days in powdered form. The growth performance of O. niloticus was density dependent. The final mean weight of O. niloticus ranged 147.76±0.28–219.71±1.42 g and the mean daily weight gain was 0.69±0.01–1.15±0.02 g day^?1. Fish held in cages with lower density were heavier than the ones held at higher densities, and showed higher weight gain and daily weight gain. The most effective stocking density, in terms of growth parameters, was 50 fish m^?3. The gross yield (4.5–20.55 kg cage^?1) showed a significant difference with increasing stocking density (P<0.05). Moreover, the apparent food conversion ratio (2.48–7.22) was significantly affected by stocking density (P<0.05). However, survival rate was not affected by stocking density (P>0.05). It can be concluded that the most effective stocking densities were at 50 fish m^?3 cage for larger size fish demand in a short period and 200 fish m^?3 for higher gross production with supplementary feed.     

Livestock Feed Marketing in Ethiopia： Challenges and Opportunities for Livestock Development

This paper presents the feed marketing systems of Ethiopia in terms of feed demand and supply, feed quality issues, feed prices and price trends based on qualitative data generated through rapid market appraisal methodology. The results indicate that, the demand for roughages, agro-industrial by-products （AIBP） and compound feeds is showing increasing trend. The use of feed from commercial sources is, however, very limited due to shortage of feed supply and inefficient marketing system. The AIBP mainly from flour and grind mills, oil processing plants and breweries are in short supply and directly marketed to user or through traders. Consequently, most of the exiting feed mixers/processing enterprises are operating under capacity estimated at about 20%-30%. The main marketed roughages, which are mainly cereal straws and baled hay, are also in short supply. Feed prices are increasing from time to time and mainly exacerbated by the increasing trend in export market of AIBP and double taxation in mixed rations. There is no any feed quality control or assurance mechanism in Ethiopia. Precaution needs to be taken in the area of taxation in order to avoid double taxation. Implications to improve the feed marketing systems and opportunities for livestock development are drawn.