Water hyacinth is a free-floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon Basin in South America and t... more Water hyacinth is a free-floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon Basin in South America and the most dangerous and worst aquatic plant in the world including Ethiopia. The objective of the current study was to evaluate water hyacinth found in Lake Ziway for its suitability and safe as animal feed. Suitability of the water hyacinth was determined based on its nutrient content, while safety was determined based on the level of selected heavy metals, and pesticides. Three sites were selected for sampling purposively based on the types of land use and potential sources of water pollution around the Lake. Water hyacinth samples were collected from the selected sites and the level of selected heavy metals, 21 organochlorine, and 14 organophosphate pesticides were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. The proximate analysis in the water hyacinth were also determined using the standard method of analysis. The results obtained demonstrate that the level of heavy metals found the ranged from ND to9.0 mg/Kg for cadmium; ND to 30.44 mg/Kg for chromium; 118.1 to 518.8 mg/Kg for manganese; 6.78 to 57 mg/Kg for copper; 34.28 to 884.19 mg/Kg for iron; 2.84 to 37.02 mg/Kg for nickel ND to 21mg/kg for lead and 25.67 to 89.9 mg/Kg for zinc. All pesticides levels were below the limits established by European council regulation for plants used as animal feed which is <0.001mg/Kg. The proximate analysis of the water hyacinthsamples of the leaves parts was moisture content 9.32%, crude protein 18.03%, crude fat 1.42%, crude ash 17.04%, crude fiber 31.04% carbohydrate 22.30%and energy 174 Kcal. The result of the stem revealed the presence of 3.96 moisture content, 2.17% crude protein, 0.47% crude fat, 5.23% crude ash, 6.70% crude fiber, 81.47% carbohydrate, and 338.79 Kca energy. Based on the results of this study, water hyacinth in the Lake Ziway can be potentially used for animal feed.
Understanding and identifying butterfly species in various land uses serves a crucial eco-logical... more Understanding and identifying butterfly species in various land uses serves a crucial eco-logical function in protecting biodiversity and improving environmental policy decisions. However, such a study on the diversity of butterflies from different land use types in and around Chebera Churchura Na-tional Park, southwestern Ethiopia, is extremely lacking. Thus, the present study aimed to quantify the species richness and abundance of butterflies in the Chebera Churchura National Park and its surroundings, which are prioritized for their conservation. Data was collected from January 2021 to June 2021 following the line transect method in the three habitat types using a standard insect net. In total, 2118 individuals representing 79 species and 38 genera belonging to five families were recorded. The Nymphalidae were the most dominant butterfly family, accounting for 45 species (57%) of the total butterflies observed, while the Heaspariidae contributed the least. Among the 79 species, 9...
This review was prepared to summarize the information on geographic and genetic diversity of Apis... more This review was prepared to summarize the information on geographic and genetic diversity of Apismellifera L. of African honeybees and the progresses made through time and applications of various advanced tools in their taxonomy at subspecies level. African honeybees have developed distinct morphology, behavior and physiology as they evolved in tropical favorable climate. The variations among the African honeybee populations have helped to produce geographic subspecies based on the morphological characteristics. However, the introduction of molecular taxonomic tools has come up with discrepancies in the number of subspecies and lineages, and subspecies composition of evolutionary lineages in Africa and other parts of the world. It has also brought up controversies in the evolutionary history of A. mellifera reporting different location as the center of origin of the species at different times: Asia, Africa and Europe. It is not only the tools that are used, but also the genetic vari...
Grains of gramineous crops are of paramount importance in the world for feeding humans and livest... more Grains of gramineous crops are of paramount importance in the world for feeding humans and livestock, and generating income. Moreover, the stalks of thick stemmed gramineous crops such as maize and sorghum are used for fuel, construction and livestock feed. The contribution of cereals like maize and sorghum towards food requirements of Ethiopian population is tremendous and these cereals rank first and second, respectively, in terms of yield per hectare and total production. However, their yields are affected by a large number of lepidopteran stemborers found in the families Pyralidae, Crambidae and Noctuidae and two species of Coleoptera in the family of Rhynchophoridae. Of the stemborer species attacking cereals, the spotted stemborer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) is an exotic species which has no co-evolved natural enemies to keep its population low. This species is very problematic in the dry lowland of eastern and southern African countries including Ethiopia. The other problemati...
Lantana camara, Eucalyptus globulus, Tagetus minuta, Pyretherum flowers and Azadiractha indica, w... more Lantana camara, Eucalyptus globulus, Tagetus minuta, Pyretherum flowers and Azadiractha indica, were evaluated against potato tuber moth damage including two checks (Diazinon 60% EC and untreated check) at Bako Agricultural Research Center in 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 cropping seasons. A total of twenty-one huts were constructed from locally available materials. Inside each store, 1m2 bed storage sacks were constructed 65 cm above the ground. Six hundred and fifty (650) numbers of potato tubers were stored on the bed of each hut in two layers one over the other. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Plant powder and Diazinon 60% EC were applied at the rate of 50 g/bed and 3.5 ml/bed respectively at two months interval. The treatments that showed promising effects were further advanced on a large bed (2 m x 3 m) without replication. Data was collected for the number of potatoes infested and damaged by potato tuber moth, and number o...
Cowpea is one of the few legumes which adapt well in warm semi-arid and arid climate conditions m... more Cowpea is one of the few legumes which adapt well in warm semi-arid and arid climate conditions making it a potential crop for farmers living in dry area of Ethiopia. Since Ethiopia is considered as secondary center of genetic diversity for cowpea, Ethiopian national lowland pulses research program had made effort in the collection of cowpea landraces from different parts of Ethiopia and identified production constraints. Callosobruchus maculatus F. was found to be one of the most important post-harvest problems of cowpea production in Ethiopia. During the collections of the landraces, farmers indicated that there were tremendous variations among the landraces in terms of their reaction to C. maculatus. These views of farmers guided us to screen cowpea landraces and commercial varieties against C. maculatus. Accordingly, 98 cowpea landraces and seven released varieties were screened against the pest. Number of eggs laid, number of holes, percent weight loss and percent germination ...
The eVect of wild and cultivated gramineous hosts on the survivorship and weight of parasitized C... more The eVect of wild and cultivated gramineous hosts on the survivorship and weight of parasitized Chilo partellus larvae and on the performance of its larval parasitoid Cotesia Xavipes were studied under laboratory conditions, in two experiments. In Experiment A, weight of Ch. partellus larvae oVered to Co. Xavipes was allowed to vary with host plant species in order to assess both the eVect of weight and quality of larvae, as aVected by the host plant, on the performance of the parasitoid. In Experiment B, larvae of similar weight across host plant species were selected to enable to separate the eVect of weight from that of quality of the larvae. In Experiment A, the mean weight of larvae that produced cocoons varied signiWcantly with plant species. In both experiments, the percentage of larvae producing cocoons and mean progeny size were lower and larvae died faster on wild than cultivated host plants. Immature development time of Co. Xavipes tended to be higher on wild than cultivated grasses. The proportion of female progeny was highest on maize and lowest on the two sorghum species, in Experiment A, whereas in Experiment B, the sex ratio was similar between the host plant species. Similarly, egg-load of Co. Xavipes oVspring was highest on maize and lowest on Napier grass in Experiment A, but it did not vary signiWcantly between host plants in Experiment B. It is suggested that in the coastal region of Kenya, perennial wild sorghum species are vital for the survival of Co. Xavipes during the dry season, when superior plant hosts such as cultivated sorghum and maize are scarce.
Malaria is one the leading health problem of the Ethiopia. Previously, areas above 2,000 m elevat... more Malaria is one the leading health problem of the Ethiopia. Previously, areas above 2,000 m elevation were considered as malaria free areas. However, the major malaria epidemics were seen in areas at an altitude up to 3,000 m above sea level. These epidemics were due to climate and land-use changes (ecological changes) and still malaria is a growing health problem in highland parts of Ethiopia. This study aimed to investigate the species diversity, abundance and distribution of Anopheles mosquitoes in highland fringe of Bure district, Northwestern Ethiopia. It was done in the three different agroecological villages, Bukta (Irrigated), Workimdr (non-irrigated with few dry season breeding habitats) and Shnebekuma (non-irrigated with many dry season breeding habitats). Anopheles mosquitoes were collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Light Traps Catches, Pyrethrum Spray Catches, and Artificial Pit Shelters (APSs) from twenty-seven houses, thirty houses, and six APSs, respectively. Anopheles mosquitoes were identified morphologically to species using standard keys. Furthermore, molecular identification of Anopheles gambiae s.l was carried out using species-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction. Independent T-Test and One-way-ANOVA were employed to compare the mean mosquito's density between villages and species, indoor and outdoor host seeking mosquitoes. Descriptive statistic was used to calculate the proportion of each Anopheles species. Nine Anopheles mosquito species were identified in the study area which includes: Anopheles demeilloni, An. arabiensis, An. funestus group, An. coustani, An. squamosus, An. cinereus, An. pharoensis, An. rupicolus, and An. natalensis. Of the 4,703 Anopheles mosquitoes collected, An. demeilloni was the most prominent (50.7%, n ¼ 2383) whereas An. rupicolus (0.03%, n ¼ 3), and An. natalensis (0.02%, n ¼ 1) were the least abundant. Higher mean density of Anopheles mosquitoes was collected from the non-irrigated village (2.395 AE 0.100) than irrigated (1.351 AE 0.109) (p ¼ 0.001). In conclusion, three of the most important malaria vectors (An. arabiensis, An. funestus group and An. pharoensis) of Ethiopia were recorded in the study sites, especially the first two was found thought-out the year. Most of the Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from non-irrigated villages. Thus, breeding habitat management must be practiced throughout the year together with long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and insecticide residual sprays.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is attacked by a number of insect pests, including the adzuki bean ... more Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is attacked by a number of insect pests, including the adzuki bean beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis L.). Genetic gains from selection to infestation by adzuki bean beetle were studied using 130 chickpea genotypes in 2009/2010. The test was conducted under ambient condition in the Entomology Laboratory of Holetta, Ambo and Debre Zeit, using RCBD in 3 replications. Data on infestation and seed damage levels were recorded and subjected to statistical analysis. Differences among the genotypes were mostly significant. Seed related traits generally exhibited larger heritable variations than insect related traits. The t-test revealed effective selection for almost all traits. Broad sense heritability varied from 43-76% and 0.20-11.00% for seed and insect related traits, respectively. The corresponding expected genetic gain ranged from 28-42% and 0.01-6.00% in the same order. Significant positive correlations were found among seed weight loss and three componen...
Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae) is an important pest of toma... more Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae) is an important pest of tomato crops native to South America. It is considered to be one of the major pests of tomato crop in Ethiopia since 2012. The aim of this study was to determine the economic threshold level of T. absoluta under glasshouse conditions. The damage potential and economic threshold level for T. absoluta larvae on tomato crop were studied during 2015 to 2016 under glasshouse conditions. Significant (P < 0.05) differences were observed among the treatments during the study period. The number of larvae per plant reduced the yield to the extent of 10.51 to 75.62% during 2015, and 11.87 to 80.22% during 2016 cropping season. The mean values of marketable yield gained to the cost of insecticide application at 0, 1 and 4 larvae per plant were 34,913, 31,006 and 16,574.5 kg/ha from 2015 to 2016, respectively. The lowest yield was observed at control/unsprayed treatment (7,751.5 kg/ha). The economic injury level (EIL) lies at the pest population density where Benefit-Cost ratio would be 1.08. From this study, the ElL of T. absoluta was determined as 3.0 larvae per plant based on the findings of glasshouse experiments conducted over the period of two years. The economic threshold level (ETL) was worked out at 2.25 larvae per plant during the same years under glasshouse conditions.
Journal of Agricultural Biotechnology and Sustainable Development, 2020
Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) is the most important destructive pest of sorghum in Africa which resul... more Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) is the most important destructive pest of sorghum in Africa which results in complete crop loss. Currently the management strategies rely heavily on chemical insecticides, which do not provide effective control. The uses of bio-pesticides are encouraging over chemical pesticides. The study was carried out to identify effective plant and animal products and optimum concentrations against C. partellus. 7 treatments each at 3 concentrations (2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 g and 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 ml) were applied on 2 nd and/or 3 rd instars larvae. The untreated check was used for comparison. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with 3 replications for each concentration. Result revealed among the treatments Milletia ferruginea Hochst seed powder and aqua extract caused the highest (100%) mortality at 3 g and 2.0 ml concentration on the 2 nd day. Cow urine and the mixture (M. ferruginea+cow urine) were recorded higher efficacy mean mortality (86.7 and 93.3%) at 3.0 ml concentration within 3 days respectively. Phytolacca dodecandra L. seed powder, aqua extract and the mixture (P. dodecandra+cow urine) showed significantly lower efficacy mean mortality. In conclusion, M. ferruginea powder and aqua extract, cow urine and combination of M. ferruginea with cow urine were identified as good alternatives to chemical pesticides against C. partellus.
Insects are diverse and abundant in forest ecosystems, but poorly documented in afromontane rainf... more Insects are diverse and abundant in forest ecosystems, but poorly documented in afromontane rainforests in Southwestern Ethiopia where Coffea arabica L. originated and is distributed worldwide. Therefore, the present study was initiated to study the occurrence of coffee leaf damaging insect pests in the afromontane rainforest of southwestern Ethiopia. Accordingly, surveys on insect pest of coffee were conducted to investigate pest status and; their damaging intensity in three (Yayu, Berhane-kontir and Bonga) forest coffee ecosystems. Based on general uniformity of forest coffee population, each forest coffee was stratified into three forest sites and 16 trees were systematically selected for leaf insect damage assessment. Survey and damage assessment results reveal that, coffee leaf damaging insect pests in afromontane rainforests of Southwestern Ethiopia include 12 insect families from five insect orders. Mean incidence data showed, significant different (P< 0.05) during different survey seasons within and between three forest coffee populations. Among the frequently occurred and damage causing insect pests were Leucoplema doherthyi, Cryphiomystis aletreuta, coffee giant looper and Leucoptera species and had 72.20 ± 1.42, 14.41 ± 5.15, 10.73 ± 4.30 and 2.63 ± 1.24 proportion damage across forest coffee populations, respectively. There is also high variation among major coffee leaf damaging insect during different seasons (rainy, rainy to dry transition, dry and dry to rainy season transition season). Generally, there were differences in insect pest incidence between and within forest coffee populations with regard to coffee leaf damaging insects and relatively low incidence observed compared to other coffee production systems. The present findings complement other research results meant for the conservation of remnant forest and its biodiversity especially to explore the natural enemies in these forest ecosystems.
Variability of two populations of Cotesia flavipes and Chilo partellus was studied for reproducti... more Variability of two populations of Cotesia flavipes and Chilo partellus was studied for reproductive success and developmental time under laboratory conditions. Fourth instar larvae of two populations of C. partellus (Ziway and Melkasa) were exposed to a day old mated adult female of two populations of C. flavipes (Ziway and Melkasa) to study the variability in reproductive success. The developmental time of the two geographical populations of C. flavipes reared on C. partellus obtained from the two different locations was also studied under four temperatures (20°C, 25°C, 28°C and 30°C). The experiments were designed in a complete randomized design. When both the parasitoid and the host were from the same location, the number of dead larvae inside the host and dead cocoons were significantly lower (p Keywords : Cotesia flavipes ; Chilo partellus ; Melkasa population; population interaction; Ziway population. Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences Vol. 5 (2) 2006: pp. 177-188
2. National Horticultural Workshop of Ethiopia, …, 1994
(English) Millions of people in Ethiopia depend on root and tuber crops as their major or supplem... more (English) Millions of people in Ethiopia depend on root and tuber crops as their major or supplementary food. Root and tuber crops also give greater yield per unit of land than the major grain crops used as basic food. On small plots of land, root and tuber crops ...
Water hyacinth is a free-floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon Basin in South America and t... more Water hyacinth is a free-floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon Basin in South America and the most dangerous and worst aquatic plant in the world including Ethiopia. The objective of the current study was to evaluate water hyacinth found in Lake Ziway for its suitability and safe as animal feed. Suitability of the water hyacinth was determined based on its nutrient content, while safety was determined based on the level of selected heavy metals, and pesticides. Three sites were selected for sampling purposively based on the types of land use and potential sources of water pollution around the Lake. Water hyacinth samples were collected from the selected sites and the level of selected heavy metals, 21 organochlorine, and 14 organophosphate pesticides were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. The proximate analysis in the water hyacinth were also determined using the standard method of analysis. The results obtained demonstrate that the level of heavy metals found the ranged from ND to9.0 mg/Kg for cadmium; ND to 30.44 mg/Kg for chromium; 118.1 to 518.8 mg/Kg for manganese; 6.78 to 57 mg/Kg for copper; 34.28 to 884.19 mg/Kg for iron; 2.84 to 37.02 mg/Kg for nickel ND to 21mg/kg for lead and 25.67 to 89.9 mg/Kg for zinc. All pesticides levels were below the limits established by European council regulation for plants used as animal feed which is <0.001mg/Kg. The proximate analysis of the water hyacinthsamples of the leaves parts was moisture content 9.32%, crude protein 18.03%, crude fat 1.42%, crude ash 17.04%, crude fiber 31.04% carbohydrate 22.30%and energy 174 Kcal. The result of the stem revealed the presence of 3.96 moisture content, 2.17% crude protein, 0.47% crude fat, 5.23% crude ash, 6.70% crude fiber, 81.47% carbohydrate, and 338.79 Kca energy. Based on the results of this study, water hyacinth in the Lake Ziway can be potentially used for animal feed.
Understanding and identifying butterfly species in various land uses serves a crucial eco-logical... more Understanding and identifying butterfly species in various land uses serves a crucial eco-logical function in protecting biodiversity and improving environmental policy decisions. However, such a study on the diversity of butterflies from different land use types in and around Chebera Churchura Na-tional Park, southwestern Ethiopia, is extremely lacking. Thus, the present study aimed to quantify the species richness and abundance of butterflies in the Chebera Churchura National Park and its surroundings, which are prioritized for their conservation. Data was collected from January 2021 to June 2021 following the line transect method in the three habitat types using a standard insect net. In total, 2118 individuals representing 79 species and 38 genera belonging to five families were recorded. The Nymphalidae were the most dominant butterfly family, accounting for 45 species (57%) of the total butterflies observed, while the Heaspariidae contributed the least. Among the 79 species, 9...
This review was prepared to summarize the information on geographic and genetic diversity of Apis... more This review was prepared to summarize the information on geographic and genetic diversity of Apismellifera L. of African honeybees and the progresses made through time and applications of various advanced tools in their taxonomy at subspecies level. African honeybees have developed distinct morphology, behavior and physiology as they evolved in tropical favorable climate. The variations among the African honeybee populations have helped to produce geographic subspecies based on the morphological characteristics. However, the introduction of molecular taxonomic tools has come up with discrepancies in the number of subspecies and lineages, and subspecies composition of evolutionary lineages in Africa and other parts of the world. It has also brought up controversies in the evolutionary history of A. mellifera reporting different location as the center of origin of the species at different times: Asia, Africa and Europe. It is not only the tools that are used, but also the genetic vari...
Grains of gramineous crops are of paramount importance in the world for feeding humans and livest... more Grains of gramineous crops are of paramount importance in the world for feeding humans and livestock, and generating income. Moreover, the stalks of thick stemmed gramineous crops such as maize and sorghum are used for fuel, construction and livestock feed. The contribution of cereals like maize and sorghum towards food requirements of Ethiopian population is tremendous and these cereals rank first and second, respectively, in terms of yield per hectare and total production. However, their yields are affected by a large number of lepidopteran stemborers found in the families Pyralidae, Crambidae and Noctuidae and two species of Coleoptera in the family of Rhynchophoridae. Of the stemborer species attacking cereals, the spotted stemborer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) is an exotic species which has no co-evolved natural enemies to keep its population low. This species is very problematic in the dry lowland of eastern and southern African countries including Ethiopia. The other problemati...
Lantana camara, Eucalyptus globulus, Tagetus minuta, Pyretherum flowers and Azadiractha indica, w... more Lantana camara, Eucalyptus globulus, Tagetus minuta, Pyretherum flowers and Azadiractha indica, were evaluated against potato tuber moth damage including two checks (Diazinon 60% EC and untreated check) at Bako Agricultural Research Center in 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 cropping seasons. A total of twenty-one huts were constructed from locally available materials. Inside each store, 1m2 bed storage sacks were constructed 65 cm above the ground. Six hundred and fifty (650) numbers of potato tubers were stored on the bed of each hut in two layers one over the other. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Plant powder and Diazinon 60% EC were applied at the rate of 50 g/bed and 3.5 ml/bed respectively at two months interval. The treatments that showed promising effects were further advanced on a large bed (2 m x 3 m) without replication. Data was collected for the number of potatoes infested and damaged by potato tuber moth, and number o...
Cowpea is one of the few legumes which adapt well in warm semi-arid and arid climate conditions m... more Cowpea is one of the few legumes which adapt well in warm semi-arid and arid climate conditions making it a potential crop for farmers living in dry area of Ethiopia. Since Ethiopia is considered as secondary center of genetic diversity for cowpea, Ethiopian national lowland pulses research program had made effort in the collection of cowpea landraces from different parts of Ethiopia and identified production constraints. Callosobruchus maculatus F. was found to be one of the most important post-harvest problems of cowpea production in Ethiopia. During the collections of the landraces, farmers indicated that there were tremendous variations among the landraces in terms of their reaction to C. maculatus. These views of farmers guided us to screen cowpea landraces and commercial varieties against C. maculatus. Accordingly, 98 cowpea landraces and seven released varieties were screened against the pest. Number of eggs laid, number of holes, percent weight loss and percent germination ...
The eVect of wild and cultivated gramineous hosts on the survivorship and weight of parasitized C... more The eVect of wild and cultivated gramineous hosts on the survivorship and weight of parasitized Chilo partellus larvae and on the performance of its larval parasitoid Cotesia Xavipes were studied under laboratory conditions, in two experiments. In Experiment A, weight of Ch. partellus larvae oVered to Co. Xavipes was allowed to vary with host plant species in order to assess both the eVect of weight and quality of larvae, as aVected by the host plant, on the performance of the parasitoid. In Experiment B, larvae of similar weight across host plant species were selected to enable to separate the eVect of weight from that of quality of the larvae. In Experiment A, the mean weight of larvae that produced cocoons varied signiWcantly with plant species. In both experiments, the percentage of larvae producing cocoons and mean progeny size were lower and larvae died faster on wild than cultivated host plants. Immature development time of Co. Xavipes tended to be higher on wild than cultivated grasses. The proportion of female progeny was highest on maize and lowest on the two sorghum species, in Experiment A, whereas in Experiment B, the sex ratio was similar between the host plant species. Similarly, egg-load of Co. Xavipes oVspring was highest on maize and lowest on Napier grass in Experiment A, but it did not vary signiWcantly between host plants in Experiment B. It is suggested that in the coastal region of Kenya, perennial wild sorghum species are vital for the survival of Co. Xavipes during the dry season, when superior plant hosts such as cultivated sorghum and maize are scarce.
Malaria is one the leading health problem of the Ethiopia. Previously, areas above 2,000 m elevat... more Malaria is one the leading health problem of the Ethiopia. Previously, areas above 2,000 m elevation were considered as malaria free areas. However, the major malaria epidemics were seen in areas at an altitude up to 3,000 m above sea level. These epidemics were due to climate and land-use changes (ecological changes) and still malaria is a growing health problem in highland parts of Ethiopia. This study aimed to investigate the species diversity, abundance and distribution of Anopheles mosquitoes in highland fringe of Bure district, Northwestern Ethiopia. It was done in the three different agroecological villages, Bukta (Irrigated), Workimdr (non-irrigated with few dry season breeding habitats) and Shnebekuma (non-irrigated with many dry season breeding habitats). Anopheles mosquitoes were collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Light Traps Catches, Pyrethrum Spray Catches, and Artificial Pit Shelters (APSs) from twenty-seven houses, thirty houses, and six APSs, respectively. Anopheles mosquitoes were identified morphologically to species using standard keys. Furthermore, molecular identification of Anopheles gambiae s.l was carried out using species-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction. Independent T-Test and One-way-ANOVA were employed to compare the mean mosquito's density between villages and species, indoor and outdoor host seeking mosquitoes. Descriptive statistic was used to calculate the proportion of each Anopheles species. Nine Anopheles mosquito species were identified in the study area which includes: Anopheles demeilloni, An. arabiensis, An. funestus group, An. coustani, An. squamosus, An. cinereus, An. pharoensis, An. rupicolus, and An. natalensis. Of the 4,703 Anopheles mosquitoes collected, An. demeilloni was the most prominent (50.7%, n ¼ 2383) whereas An. rupicolus (0.03%, n ¼ 3), and An. natalensis (0.02%, n ¼ 1) were the least abundant. Higher mean density of Anopheles mosquitoes was collected from the non-irrigated village (2.395 AE 0.100) than irrigated (1.351 AE 0.109) (p ¼ 0.001). In conclusion, three of the most important malaria vectors (An. arabiensis, An. funestus group and An. pharoensis) of Ethiopia were recorded in the study sites, especially the first two was found thought-out the year. Most of the Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from non-irrigated villages. Thus, breeding habitat management must be practiced throughout the year together with long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and insecticide residual sprays.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is attacked by a number of insect pests, including the adzuki bean ... more Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is attacked by a number of insect pests, including the adzuki bean beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis L.). Genetic gains from selection to infestation by adzuki bean beetle were studied using 130 chickpea genotypes in 2009/2010. The test was conducted under ambient condition in the Entomology Laboratory of Holetta, Ambo and Debre Zeit, using RCBD in 3 replications. Data on infestation and seed damage levels were recorded and subjected to statistical analysis. Differences among the genotypes were mostly significant. Seed related traits generally exhibited larger heritable variations than insect related traits. The t-test revealed effective selection for almost all traits. Broad sense heritability varied from 43-76% and 0.20-11.00% for seed and insect related traits, respectively. The corresponding expected genetic gain ranged from 28-42% and 0.01-6.00% in the same order. Significant positive correlations were found among seed weight loss and three componen...
Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae) is an important pest of toma... more Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae) is an important pest of tomato crops native to South America. It is considered to be one of the major pests of tomato crop in Ethiopia since 2012. The aim of this study was to determine the economic threshold level of T. absoluta under glasshouse conditions. The damage potential and economic threshold level for T. absoluta larvae on tomato crop were studied during 2015 to 2016 under glasshouse conditions. Significant (P < 0.05) differences were observed among the treatments during the study period. The number of larvae per plant reduced the yield to the extent of 10.51 to 75.62% during 2015, and 11.87 to 80.22% during 2016 cropping season. The mean values of marketable yield gained to the cost of insecticide application at 0, 1 and 4 larvae per plant were 34,913, 31,006 and 16,574.5 kg/ha from 2015 to 2016, respectively. The lowest yield was observed at control/unsprayed treatment (7,751.5 kg/ha). The economic injury level (EIL) lies at the pest population density where Benefit-Cost ratio would be 1.08. From this study, the ElL of T. absoluta was determined as 3.0 larvae per plant based on the findings of glasshouse experiments conducted over the period of two years. The economic threshold level (ETL) was worked out at 2.25 larvae per plant during the same years under glasshouse conditions.
Journal of Agricultural Biotechnology and Sustainable Development, 2020
Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) is the most important destructive pest of sorghum in Africa which resul... more Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) is the most important destructive pest of sorghum in Africa which results in complete crop loss. Currently the management strategies rely heavily on chemical insecticides, which do not provide effective control. The uses of bio-pesticides are encouraging over chemical pesticides. The study was carried out to identify effective plant and animal products and optimum concentrations against C. partellus. 7 treatments each at 3 concentrations (2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 g and 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 ml) were applied on 2 nd and/or 3 rd instars larvae. The untreated check was used for comparison. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with 3 replications for each concentration. Result revealed among the treatments Milletia ferruginea Hochst seed powder and aqua extract caused the highest (100%) mortality at 3 g and 2.0 ml concentration on the 2 nd day. Cow urine and the mixture (M. ferruginea+cow urine) were recorded higher efficacy mean mortality (86.7 and 93.3%) at 3.0 ml concentration within 3 days respectively. Phytolacca dodecandra L. seed powder, aqua extract and the mixture (P. dodecandra+cow urine) showed significantly lower efficacy mean mortality. In conclusion, M. ferruginea powder and aqua extract, cow urine and combination of M. ferruginea with cow urine were identified as good alternatives to chemical pesticides against C. partellus.
Insects are diverse and abundant in forest ecosystems, but poorly documented in afromontane rainf... more Insects are diverse and abundant in forest ecosystems, but poorly documented in afromontane rainforests in Southwestern Ethiopia where Coffea arabica L. originated and is distributed worldwide. Therefore, the present study was initiated to study the occurrence of coffee leaf damaging insect pests in the afromontane rainforest of southwestern Ethiopia. Accordingly, surveys on insect pest of coffee were conducted to investigate pest status and; their damaging intensity in three (Yayu, Berhane-kontir and Bonga) forest coffee ecosystems. Based on general uniformity of forest coffee population, each forest coffee was stratified into three forest sites and 16 trees were systematically selected for leaf insect damage assessment. Survey and damage assessment results reveal that, coffee leaf damaging insect pests in afromontane rainforests of Southwestern Ethiopia include 12 insect families from five insect orders. Mean incidence data showed, significant different (P< 0.05) during different survey seasons within and between three forest coffee populations. Among the frequently occurred and damage causing insect pests were Leucoplema doherthyi, Cryphiomystis aletreuta, coffee giant looper and Leucoptera species and had 72.20 ± 1.42, 14.41 ± 5.15, 10.73 ± 4.30 and 2.63 ± 1.24 proportion damage across forest coffee populations, respectively. There is also high variation among major coffee leaf damaging insect during different seasons (rainy, rainy to dry transition, dry and dry to rainy season transition season). Generally, there were differences in insect pest incidence between and within forest coffee populations with regard to coffee leaf damaging insects and relatively low incidence observed compared to other coffee production systems. The present findings complement other research results meant for the conservation of remnant forest and its biodiversity especially to explore the natural enemies in these forest ecosystems.
Variability of two populations of Cotesia flavipes and Chilo partellus was studied for reproducti... more Variability of two populations of Cotesia flavipes and Chilo partellus was studied for reproductive success and developmental time under laboratory conditions. Fourth instar larvae of two populations of C. partellus (Ziway and Melkasa) were exposed to a day old mated adult female of two populations of C. flavipes (Ziway and Melkasa) to study the variability in reproductive success. The developmental time of the two geographical populations of C. flavipes reared on C. partellus obtained from the two different locations was also studied under four temperatures (20°C, 25°C, 28°C and 30°C). The experiments were designed in a complete randomized design. When both the parasitoid and the host were from the same location, the number of dead larvae inside the host and dead cocoons were significantly lower (p Keywords : Cotesia flavipes ; Chilo partellus ; Melkasa population; population interaction; Ziway population. Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences Vol. 5 (2) 2006: pp. 177-188
2. National Horticultural Workshop of Ethiopia, …, 1994
(English) Millions of people in Ethiopia depend on root and tuber crops as their major or supplem... more (English) Millions of people in Ethiopia depend on root and tuber crops as their major or supplementary food. Root and tuber crops also give greater yield per unit of land than the major grain crops used as basic food. On small plots of land, root and tuber crops ...
Background and Objective: Butterflies are one of the largest and most important species component... more Background and Objective: Butterflies are one of the largest and most important species components of biodiversity, which can be indicators of disturbance in any area. This study carried out with the objective to examine diversity of butterflies across habitats at Menagesha-Suba state forest from July, 2012 to June, 2014. Materials and Methods: It was investigated by the use of sweep nets along transects in three types of habitats i.e., grassland, natural forest and artificial forest. Samples were taken from one of the quadrant of each transect line in each habitat every month. Morphological characteristics were used to identify species. Data were analysed using diversity indexes such as Shannon-Wiener diversity, Simpson's index, Margalefʼs index, Pielouʼs evenness index and Sorensenʼs similarity index. Results: The natural forest had the greatest, while the artificial forest had the lowest species and individual. Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpsonʼs diversity index as well as Margalefʼs richness index indicated that the natural forest had highest diversity while the artificial forest had the lowest diversity. Family Nymphalidae was the most dominant. The highest similarity of species was observed between grassland and natural forest habitats. Conclusion: By protecting the vegetation and water resources of the area, varied sub habitats of Menagesha-Suba state forest can supports good diversity of butterflies
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be indicators of disturbance in any area. This study carried out with the objective to examine diversity of butterflies across habitats
at Menagesha-Suba state forest from July, 2012 to June, 2014. Materials and Methods: It was investigated by the use of sweep
nets along transects in three types of habitats i.e., grassland, natural forest and artificial forest. Samples were taken from one of
the quadrant of each transect line in each habitat every month. Morphological characteristics were used to identify species. Data
were analysed using diversity indexes such as Shannon-Wiener diversity, Simpson's index, Margalefʼs index, Pielouʼs evenness
index and Sorensenʼs similarity index. Results: The natural forest had the greatest, while the artificial forest had the lowest species
and individual. Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpsonʼs diversity index as well as Margalefʼs richness index indicated that the
natural forest had highest diversity while the artificial forest had the lowest diversity. Family Nymphalidae was the most dominant.
The highest similarity of species was observed between grassland and natural forest habitats. Conclusion: By protecting the
vegetation and water resources of the area, varied sub habitats of Menagesha-Suba state forest can supports good diversity of
butterflies