Lack of information on the production and commercialization status of improved Panicum grass is o... more Lack of information on the production and commercialization status of improved Panicum grass is one of the major livestock production impediments in South Omo. The improved Panicum grass is a perennial grass species used throughout the tropics for livestock feeding. Therefore, the present study was conducted to understand the seed and hay production status and the economic visibility of improved Panicum grass cultivation. The face-to-face interviews were conducted with improved Panicum grass producers. The quantitative data, such as the amount of bales and seed produced, and the qualitative data, such as agro-pastoralists’ perceptions, were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and the Likert scale. The results revealed that the seed yield and herbage productivity after seed harvest were 2.5 quintals and 788 bales per hectare per cut, respectively. The average income generated from the sale of herbage and seed of Panicum grass was 325,350 ETB and 442,500 ETB per hectare per y...
International Journal of Agricultural Research, Innovation and Technology
Finger millet is staple food crop in drought-prone areas of the world and often considered as a c... more Finger millet is staple food crop in drought-prone areas of the world and often considered as a component of food security strategies in Ethiopia. However, its yield is low in South Omo zone due to different production problems such as lack of improved varieties, lodging, and moisture stress in dry areas. A participatory finger millet variety selection was conducted at Kaysa, Baytesimal and Alga kebeles of Debube Ari District, South Omo Zone during the 2019-cropping season to identify high yielding finger millet variety/varieties .The field experiments was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The combined analysis’s of variance results revealed that there were significant (p<0.05) differences among varieties based on the recorded parameters except the harvest index. The maximum combined mean grain yield obtained to the varieties: Tadesse, Tesema and Kako-1 were 3746.75 kg ha-1, 3691.94 kg ha-1, and 3593.42 kg ha-1, respectively. While the minimu...
Maize is a significant cereal crop in Ethiopia. However, the yield of this crop is limited due to... more Maize is a significant cereal crop in Ethiopia. However, the yield of this crop is limited due to lack of varieties and blended fertilizer for varieties and site specifications. The use of exact amount of fertilizer based on crop requirement has significant importance for sustainable crop production. A study was undertaken to investigate the effects of NPSB blended fertilizer rate for maize yield production in Dasenech and Nyangatom districts in the lowland area of South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia during the 2019/2020 cropping season. The experiment was factorial with three maize varieties (Melkassa-6Q Melkassa-4 and Melkassa-2) and four NPSB blended fertilizer rates including kg ha -1 (none fertilizer, 50NPSB, 100NPSB and 150 NPSB). Factorial combinations were used as twelve treatments laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Growth, yield and yield components parameters were recorded and carried out statistical analysis The result of analysis of variance revealed that the interaction effect of varieties and blended fertilizer rate highly significant difference in grain yield. The result showed that the highest grain yield (3913.3 kg ha -1 ) and net benefit (49,229.6 Eth-birr ha -1 ) with MRR of 2525.83% were obtained from Melkassa-2 variety treated with 100 kg ha -1 of NPSB fertilizer rates at Dasenech location. Whereas, at Nyangatom location, the highest grain yield (4906.7 kg ha -1 ) and net benefit (62640.45Eth-birr ha -1 ) with MRR of 2926.2% were obtained from similar Melkassa-2 variety treated with 100 kg ha -1 of NPSB fertilizer levels s. Therefore, based on the result recorded from this study Melkassa-2 varieties treated with 100 kg ha -1 of NPSB blended fertilizer can be suggested as profitable for the production of maize at both districts of the study areas and their similar soil conditions and agroecology.
Ethiopia is a land-locked country known as ‘Horn of Africa’. It has diversed topography, encompas... more Ethiopia is a land-locked country known as ‘Horn of Africa’. It has diversed topography, encompassing mountains over 4000 m above mean sea level, high plateaus, deep gorges cut by rivers and arid lowlands (Ininda and Befekadu, 1987). The country’s location in the tropics coupled with impressive altitudinal variations within a short distance allows the country to enjoy both temperate and tropical climates, which gives rise to wealth of biophysical resources (Gashaw, 2015). Similarly, the great variability of Ethiopian highlands gives rise to the formation of different physical landscapes which are in turn the causes for the variations in soil parent materials, agro ecological zones, flora and fauna (Mishra et al., 2004; FAO. 2016). On other hand with an expanding population and the associated intensive land use practices, the highlands are also increasingly under pressure such that land degradation on the form of erosion and top soil loss is wide spread (Dessalegn, 1991). Regardless ...
International Journal of Agricultural Research, Innovation and Technology, Jan 24, 2023
Soil fertility depletion is a serious problem in Ethiopian highland due to leaching of topsoil by... more Soil fertility depletion is a serious problem in Ethiopian highland due to leaching of topsoil by runoff, which reduces production and productivity. This experiment conducted in Debub Ari district for two years with the aim of investigating single and combined effect of compost and FYM with inorganic fertilizer on soil fertility improvement and onion crop production. The treatment includes T1) Control, T2) Recommended NP (69/30), T3) NPSZnB (120N, 92P2O5, 20.06S, 5.89Zn, 0.66B) kg ha -1 (264 kg NPSZnB + 161 kg urea), T4) 10 t ha -1 FYM, T5) 10 t ha -1 compost, T6) 5 tha -1 FYM + 50% of treatment-3 and T7) 5 t ha -1 compost + 50% of treatment-3. Treatments are arranged in randomized complete block design with three replications. Soil before the experiment showed moderately acidic, moderate in organic matter and boron, low in sulfur high in available P and total nitrogen. The results showed significant differences among the treatments on onion plant height, bulb diameter, marketable and biological yield. The highest total yield 19.99 t ha -1 , 19.59 t ha -1 and 19.25 t ha -1 was recorded from NPSZnB (120N, 92P2O5, 20.06S, 5.89Zn, 0.66B) kg ha -1 , 5 t ha -1 compost + 50% of T-3 and 5 t ha -1 FYM + 50% of T-3 respectively and that increase yield by 39%, 35% and 33% over the control. Soils after the experiment become medium in sulfur remain static in available boron and total nitrogen. Economic feasibility that the maximum net benefit of 246059 and 242442 ETB ha -1 with acceptable %MRR of 290 and 1300 was obtained with the application of NPSZnB (120N, 92P2O5, 20.06S, 5.89Zn, 0.66B) kg ha -1 and 5 t ha -1 FYM + 50% of T-3, respectively. Therefore, the application of those two treatments is recommended for higher yield production in the study area.
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