Abstract:Pot experiment was conducted in the teaching and research farm of the department of Agriculture, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education to determine the comparative effect of poultry manure and poultry manure Biochar on the performance of maize (Zea mays). The treatments consisted of five levels of poultry manure (PM) 0g, 20g ,40g ,80g and 120g and five levels of poultry manure Biochar (PMB) 0g, 20g, 40g, 80g and 120g. The experiment was a 5 x 5 factorial arranged in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times.  Data collected were plant height at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks, leaf area, number of leaves, weight of the cob, cob length girth, weight of 100 seeds. The result shows that the height of maize plant was significantly higher in poultry manure and poultry manure biochar compared to the control plants (zero application). Poultry manure biochar (PMB) at eighth (8^th) week produced the tallest plant with 80g application.  All the treatment had no effect on the number of leaves produced but PMB had appreciably higher effect on the size of maize leaves and total leave area compared to PM. Poultry manure (PM) produced plants with bigger cobs, higher cob weight and seed weight with 40g application. While in the case of PMB plants that received 80g PMB had the best value in terms of cob size, cob weight, but 40g had the height seed weight. 40g PM per plant application is recommended for maize production. When PMB is used 80g PMB per plant is recommended
Keywords:Poultry manure, Biochar, Soil amendment, Maize production, Rivers state, Nigeria.      

Abstract:Ethiopia is predominantly an agrarian country with the vast majority of its population being involved in agriculture. Hence, agriculture having a lion shares in contributing about 36% of the national GDP, 75% of the total exports and more than 80% of employment. The sector, however,is still characterized largely by small scale subsistence farming and low productivity. This low productivity is purely due to limited use of improved seeds and associated technologies. Aware of this scenario, the Government of Ethiopia has put great emphasis on increasing the production and productivity of small‐scale farmers. As a result the demand for improved technologies, including improved seed, has increased in Ethiopia. Again availability of seed is important for crop yield, agricultural production and guarantee household food security. In the past few years, several significant efforts have been achieved towards building a well-regulated seed system in Ethiopia. Seed systems in Ethiopia can be divided in to two broad types: the formal system and the informal system. However, the seed system development strategy prepared by Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency has recognized the three seed systems like formal, informal, and intermediary. In the country, the formal and informal seed system were operating for several decades and playing the lions share in supplying seeds for the entire crop production. Moreover, the development of intermediate seed systems fills the gap between formal and informal seed systems, that ultimately improving productivity and food security. The seed sector promoted by state governments and that comprises both public and private organizations, including the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation, the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research, Regional Agricultural Research Institutes, Universities, the Public Seed Enterprise, private seed producers, several small-to-medium and the farmers. Other relevant stakeholders are the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Bureaus of Agriculture and Rural Development, farmers’ cooperative unions and NGOs. They play a significant role in variety demonstration, scaling-out farmer-based quality seed production out-grower schemes and guarantee household food security.
Keywords:Formal seed system, Informal seed system, intermediary seed system.

Abstract: The experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of Groundnut to different allowable soil moisture depletion level. From the three consecutive years combined data analyses, the effect of different allowable soil moisture depletion level on the yield of groundnut and other yield components was not significantly different. However, there was a statistically significance difference on crop water productivity. Among the five treatments SMD3 which is 50% allowable soil moisture depletion level gave the highest mean unshelled yield. Whereas, SMD4 which is 60% allowable soil moisture depletion level gave the lowest unshelled yield. 30% allowable soil moisture depletion level gave the highest crop water productivity. Even if the different allowable soil moisture depletion level didn’t show a significant difference on yield of Groundnut, 50% allowable soil moisture depletion level gave relatively the highest yield and optimum crop water productivity.
Keywords:Soil moisture depletion; unshelled yield; Groundnut; crop water productivity.

Abstract:Characterization of groundwater quality is crucial to the sustainability of irrigation development. The broad objective of this research was to characterize the groundwater quality of Mehoni agricultural research center experimental site in northern Ethiopia for its suitability for irrigation purpose as an appropriate method to give information for different users through optimal management of this resource. Thus, groundwater sample was collected from irrigation bore-hole pump.Studied selected chemical parameters include pH, electrical conductivity (ECw), dissolved basic cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and K⁺) and anions (HCO3^-, CO3^2-, Cl^- and SO4^2-), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and residual sodium carbonate (RSC). The results of the laboratory analysis had shown that the groundwater quality of the Fachagama experimental has no sodicity has hazard (SAR = 4.93) but shows a minimum risk or limited hazard with respect to RSC (RSC = 3. 20 meqL^{- l}). Despite the medium EC value (0.36 dS m^-1), the groundwater of the study area is fresh, possibly due to flushing by the rainfall and high quality highland groundwater interactions. Hence, most plants can be produced in this groundwater without any practical salinity control.
Keywords:Characterization, Ethiopia, Groundwater quality, Irrigation and Mehoni.

Abstract:Vegetables make up a major portion of the diet of humans in many parts of the world and are considered essential for well-balanced diets. Leafy vegetables crops are one group of vegetable crops which used mainly for their leaves whether eaten raw or cooked. Variability refers to the presence of difference among the individuals of a population. The components of variability include phenotypic variation, genotypic variation, environmental variation, heritability, genetic advance etc. In different leafy vegetables collection study there exist a wide variation between them, this variation can be useful for improvement of vegetables crops with the help of partitioning variances. Vegetable breeders should be able to determine the relative importance or magnitude of genetic and environmental variances. There is lack of information in vegetable breeding, especially leafy vegetables. The objective of this paper is to summarize different research papers on leafy vegetable crops breeding for different agro morphological traits to show the genetic variability component phenotypic variability, genotypic variability, heritability and genetic advance study.
Keywords:genetic advance, genotypic variability, Heritability, leafy vegetables, phenotypic variability.

Abstract:Biodiversity values at ecosystem depend on how people use, manage and interact with the forest trees and trees outside the forest. Between 1990 and 2010 Kenya‟s forest cover significantly reduced by 6.5%. The aim of this study was to assess vegetation characteristics of ecosystem in terms of diversity and structure of chepalungu forest.Primary data constituted responses from randomly sampled local community, the herbalist, cultivators and foresters interviewed. Their response rate was 96%, 100%, 100% and 60% respectively that were analyzed in SPSS. Obtaining firewood, grazing fodder, honey, herbs among others occurred very frequently in 88%, 83% 93% and 90% respectively. Cutting, trampling and browsing as disturbance on trees accounted for 73%, 15% and 12% respectively. 98%, 81%, 75% and 40% of the respondents considered charcoal making, grazing, and browsing and firewood collection to be very destructive human activities occurring in CF respectively. The forest has decreased in a margin of 9% between 1985 and 2010 in its area with 7% attributed to clear-cutting established using change detection technique. CF has a tree diversity of 0.6, 0.4 and 0.3 in the edge, core and middle zones respectively measured on Simpson Species Diversity Index. It is dominated by Acokanthera schimperi, Teclea simplifolia and Euclea divinorum with common height of 3 mand range of 1 m to 7 m. The forest department to develop inventory on what they are conserving to allow periodic audit that will guide conservation strategies. Determine and guide annual allowable cut. The forest department to embrace participatory management by encouraging and supporting the formation of community forest association.
Keywords:Density, Dominance, Ecosystem, Ecotones.

Abstract:The broad objective of this paper was to review and to give information for different users on impacts of climate change on crop water requirements and changes in water availability for irrigation in Ethiopia. Specifically, the review sought to assess climate change impacts and future climate change projections mainly on crop water requirement and other production systems in Ethiopia and selected countries using different literatures. Adaptations and mitigation strategies of Climate Change impacts are also reviewed. The results of the review had shown that climate variability is expected to increase the mean minimum and maximum temperature in future due to warmer atmospheric conditions, high evaporation and transpiration, as a results the demand of crop water requirement and demand of net irrigation amounts will be increase and it is expected more critical in the future. Addressing the issues is therefore imperative in terms of adaptation and coping mechanisms.
Keywords:Adaptation, Climate change, Crop water requirement, Ethiopia and Evaporation.

Abstract:Stem rust is the most devastating of all wheat diseases under favorable conditions; because it attacks the above ground parts of the host plant. It remains the most important disease of wheat worldwide, because of its wide distribution, its capacity to form new pathotypes that can attack previously resistant varieties, its potential to develop rapidly under optimal environmental conditions that result in serious yield loss. Until recently, stem rust of wheat has been successfully controlled through genetic resistance. However, in recent years, it has gained significance as new virulence trait (Ug99) evolved in its populations, demonstrating the vulnerability of broadly used wheat cultivars across the globe. The emergence of Ug99 pathotype in Uganda in 1998 and its subsequent geographical expansion within Africa, to the Middle East and the appearance of its variants illustrate the imminent threat to wheat production.
Ethiopia is one of the East African countries where most of its wheat varieties have become susceptible to the previously known prevalent virulences of stem rust and the newly evolved pathotype Ug99. This scientific information showed the importance of replacing the currently susceptible Ethiopian wheat varieties by effective and durable resistant varieties through breeding programs. However, the development of effective and durable resistant varieties against wheat stem rust pathogen population requires knowledge of virulences and virulence spectra present in the pathogen population. Therefore, it is important to study the virulences and virulence spectra of wheat stem rust pathogen population in Ethiopia, particularly in Arsi where almost all of the two zones are known wheat-growing areas in the country. Hence, this study was initiated with the objective to determine virulence and virulence spectra of wheat stem rust pathogen population in the study area. A total of 36 stem rust samples were collected from randomly selected farmers' fields in Arsi and West Arsi zones and identification of pathotypes as well as their virulence spectrum was studied in a greenhouse using complete randomized design (CRD) in two replications and 13 pathotypes were identified from 31 isolate collections. Pathotype designation was done using the international system of nomenclature for wheat stem rust pathogen population. Reaction of the differential lines tested against the stem rust isolates showed that all of the resistance genes in wheat stem rust differential lines were susceptible to one or the other isolates tested against them and most of the Pathotypes identified during the study were virulent on most of the wheat stem rust differential lines. For example, pathotype TTTTT was virulent on all of the 20 wheat stem rust differential lines and hence, can pose a serious threat to the wheat production in the study area. Likewise, three pathotypes (TPTTT, TTTRT and TTTST); other three pathotypes (PTTRT, TTKRT and TTTRP); other five pathotypes (TTTQP, TTPQT, PTKRT, TTKSK & PTTRP); and one pathotype (TPHTP); ranked; second, third, fourth & fifth orders in their virulence spectrum level being virulent on 19, 18, 17 & 16 of the 20 resistance genes of the differentials, respectively. Therefore, percent virulence spectrum of the Pathotypes on resistance genes of the differentials that ranked first, second, third, fourth & fifth in their virulence spectrum level was 100, 95, 90, 85 & 80% respectively. The total percent virulence spectrum of the Pathotypes ranged 80-100%. These findings indicate that the virulence spectrum of the wheat stem rust pathogen population in the survey area was broad enough to pose serious problem on wheat production in the area of study. The findings of the present study can provide information about the current status of virulence spectra and variability of wheat stem rust pathogen population in Arsi & West Arsi zones and this information can be used by wheat breeders to develop durable wheat stem rust resistant varieties.                         
Keywords:Wheat; Stem rust; Differential lines; Virulence spectrum.

Abstract:Though faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a leading pulse crop grown in the central highlands of Ethiopia, frost is a threat of its production for decades. Therefore, afield experiment was conducted during 2017and 2018 toevaluate the effect of sowing date, variety and potassium against frost in faba bean at Debre Brehan Agricultural Research Center main station (Faji). Factorial combinations of two sowing dates, two varieties of faba bean (‘Wolki’- large seeded and ‘Dagm’-small seeded) and four levels of potash (K₂O) (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha) were tested in RCBD. Potassium chloride was used as a source of K₂Ofertilizer. Sowing date and variety showed significant (p<0.05) effects on most of the studied parametersin both years and combined over years while K₂O showed significant (p<0.05) effects only on number of seeds per pod, hundred seeds weight and germination efficiency in 2017. Interactions with K₂O showed significant (p<0.05) effects only on some parameters considered. According to ANOVA and economic analysis results K₂O at the rate of 50 kg/ha found economically optimum for variety ’Wolki’ at first/early sowing as highest grain yield and lowest frost injury was obtained at this level. Hence, time of split application of this level should be further studied. On the other hand, application of K₂O showed no significant contribution for the small seeded variety ‘Dagm’ during early sowing. However, in the case of early frost occurrence (though time of frost occurrence could not be predicted); use of K₂O might be considered as an option.
Keywords:Active methods, Dagm, Option, Parameters, Passive methods, Vicia faba L., Wolki.