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Terminal drought and lodging are among the major yield-limiting factors for tef cultivation in the highly weathered soils of the Ethiopian highlands. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the yield and lodging responses of tef to varying moisture depletion levels (MDL) and the application of carbonized rice husk (CRH). A two-year 4×4 factorial experiment with 20, 35, 55, and 75% MDL and 0, 291, 582, and 873 kg ha-1 of CRH was laid out in a split-plot design, with each treatment replicated four times. The pooled mean ANOVA showed leaf area index (LAI) and lodging index (LI) were not significantly influenced by the main and interaction effects of MDL and CRH (p > 0.05); however, individual year ANOVA showed that both LI and LAI were influenced by the interaction of MDL and CRH (p<0.05) in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The lowest LI (19.7%) was obtained from the application of 873 kg CRH ha-1, followed by 20.6% from 582 kg CRH ha-1 in 2022. A 20.7% LI reduction was recorded in 2022 compared to 2021. Tef plant height and number of tillers per plant were significantly affected by MDL at p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively, but not by CRH and its interaction with MDL. The effect of MDL was significant on tef HI (p<0.01) but not on traits including grain yield, straw yield, and water use efficiency. In conclusion, the pooled mean analysis result showed that, though there was no significant difference in yield, tef irrigated at 55% MDL provided a maximum HI of 33.8%, which was 6.21% more than the control, and increased the level of lodging resistance with a LI of 31.9%, which was next to 75% MDL with 582 kg ha-1 CRH. The authors suggested that the research should further be verified across locations for wide application., Competing Interests: We the authors of this manuscript have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Tekle et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Lodging, poor crop varieties and nitrogen management are among the main tef cultivation problems in acidic soils of northwestern Ethiopia. Though Si has been shown to improve crop yield and lodging resistance, knowledge of its effect on tef, along genotypes and nitrogen, is yet to be uncovered. Therefore, a 4 × 2 × 2 factorial field experiment was conducted on fixed experimental plot at the Koga irrigation scheme to assess yield and lodging responses of tef varieties to nitrogen and silicon fertilizer rates during two consecutive years of 2021 and 2022. The experiment comprised four nitrogen levels: 0 (N1), 23 (N2), 46 (N3), and 92 kg N ha -1 (N4), two Si levels: 0 (Si1) and 485 (Si2) kg ha -1 , and two improved varieties: Hiber-1 (V1) and Quncho (V2) treatment combinations, which were replicated four times. Results showed that regardless of silicon supply and variety, nitrogen had a significant effect (p < .0001) on agronomic attributes of tef grain yield, biomass yield, harvest index, chlorophyll content, plant height, panicle length, leaf area index, and the number of plants m -2 over the two years. Application of N4, N3, and N2 improved grain yield by 166.9, 126.2, and 75.2 % over N1, respectively. The harvest index showed a declining trend with nitrogen rates, which ranged from 36.1 to 26.5 %. Hiber-1 showed a significantly (p < .01) higher panicle length than Quncho. The interaction of nitrogen, silicon, and variety significantly (p < .001) affected lodging index, with a minimum lodging index of 0 % from V1Si1N1 and a maximum lodging index (71.9 %) from V2Si1N4. Maximum net return (2552.6 USD) was obtained from V1Si1N4, while the marginal rate of return (6961.7 %) from V1Si1N3. Therefore, it can be concluded that genotype and optimum nitrogen can maximize yield and lodging resistance of tef, while silicon in the form of carbonized rice husk results no significant effect on tef lodging., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In Ethiopia, the facts of farmers' indigenous knowledge-based cropping systems have rarely been investigated through research. A field experiment was conducted during 2021/2022 main cropping season at Fogera Plain with the objective of examining the effect of additive series relay intercropping of grass pea with lowland rice on the grain yield of the component crops and the production efficiency of the cropping system. The experiment consisted of a factorial combination of four seed proportions of grass pea (SPGP) (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the recommended seed rate of sole grass pea) relay intercropped with full seed rates of rice in four rice: grass pea spatial arrangements (SA) (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and their mixed relay intercropping system). The treatments were arranged in a randomised complete block design with three replications. Data on grain yields of the component crops were collected and analysed using SAS-JMP-16 software. Results revealed that SPGP and SA had no significant effect on rice. The highest grain yield of grass pea was obtained when 25% SPGP was relay intercropped with rice in 1:3 SA (5.10 t ha-1). Maximum production efficiency in terms of total land output yield (9.89 t ha-1) and land use efficiency (ATER = 1.33), net benefit (33, 5176.79 Birr ha-1), marginal rate of return (21,428%), and positive monetary advantage index with lower competitive ratio was obtained when 50% SPGP was relay intercropped with rice in 1:3 SA. Thus, this mixture seems to contribute to the development of sustainable crop production with a limited use of external inputs. Rice intercropping with other staple legume crops under residual soil moisture needs to be tested across locations and years to intensify the production efficiency and profitability of the cropping system., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Assefa, Bitew. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Improper nitrogen application time during the crop growing period is one of the most limiting factor for wheat production. A field experiment was conducted in Northwestern Ethiopia with the objective of determining the appropriate N fertilizer application time for improving bread wheat production. Twelve treatments (½ urea at 50% emergence + ½ urea at tillering, ½ urea at tillering + ½ urea at booting, 1/3rd urea at 50% emergence + 1/3rd urea at tillering + 1/3rd urea at booting, 2/3rd urea at tillering + 1/3rd urea at booting, all urea at tillering, all urea at booting, all N at tillering, all N at booting, ½ N at sowing+ ½ N at tillering, ½ N 50% emergence + ½ N at tillering, 1/3rd N at 50% emergence + 1/3rd N at tillering + 1/3rd N at booting, ½ N at tillering + ½ N at booting) were lied out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The study showed that wheat grain yield and protein content was highly influenced by the environment and indirectly correlated with each other as affected by N time of applications. The grain yield at Adet, Wonberema and Debre Elies was increased by 31%, 14% and 18%, respectively when N was applied with DAP at sowing over the blanket recommendation. At all locations, grain protein content decreased as the number of N split application increased 1 to 3 times. Thus, depending on the purpose of the producers, it can be concluded that application of ½ urea at 50% emergence + ½ urea at tillering with the application of DAP at sowing gave maximum wheat grain yield, while optimum grain protein content was obtained when N was applied after the crop is emerged and would be used in most dominant wheat producing areas of northwestern Ethiopia. Further study should be conducted on split application of blended fertilizers (NPS, NPSBZN etc.)., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Derebe et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The national productivity of soybean is lower than that of worlds ' productivity due to lack of appropriate agronomic practices. A field experiment was carried out in 2020/2021 cropping season at Guangua district, Northwestern Ethiopia to determine the effect of blended NPSZnB (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Zinc and Boron) fertilizer rates on seed yield and quality of soybean varieties. Five levels of blended NPSZnB fertilizer (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha -1 ) and three soybean varieties (Pawe-01, Pawe-02 and Pawe-03) were arranged in factorial and laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. Data on soybean agronomic attributes and soybean seed quality were collected and analyzed using SAS software. Results revealed most growth, yield, yield components and quality traits of soybean were significantly affected by varieties, blended fertilizer rates and by their interaction. Planting variety Pawe-03 with the application of 100 kg ha -1 NPSZnB gave the highest grain yield (2.88 t ha -1 ) and protein content (41.50%). Maximum oil content (24.50%) was recorded when variety Pawe-01 was planted with the application of 100 kg ha -1 NPSZnB. Planting Variety Pawe-03 with application of 100 kg ha -1 NPSZnB gave the highest net benefit (74953.56 birr ha -1) . In conclusion, planting Pawe-03 soybean variety with the application of 100 kg ha -1 NPSZnB gave significantly highest seed yield, protein content and profitability and recommended for soybean production in Northwestern agro-ecologies of Ethiopia. It is suggested that this experiment should be repeated in various agro ecologies with various soybean varieties., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

An experiment on maize (Zea mays)-common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) intercropping was conducted for two years (2014 and 2016) at two locations in North western Ethiopia with the objective of determining the spatial arrangement and planting date of common bean. Common bean intercropped with maize at three planting dates (simultaneously with maize, at emergence and knee height of maize) in two spatial arrangements (alternate and paired arrangements).The experimental design was factotrial randomized complete block design with three replications. Sole maize and common bean were included as a check. Results revealed that the spatial and temporal differentiation significantly affect only the agronomic attributes of common bean in common bean-maize intercropping. At Adet the grain yield of common bean (1.9 t ha-1), LER (1.99) and MAI (357) in maize-common bean intercropping was higher when common bean was planted at the same time with maize in paired planting pattern. On the other hand, maximum LER (1.61) and MAI (2.83) at Finoteselam were observed when common bean was intercropped with maize at maize emergence in paired planting pattern. Simultaneous intercropping of common bean with maize gave more stable total land output yield as compared to other intercropping systems but showed high variability as compared to the sole cropping. Thus, it can be concluded that planting common bean simultaneously with maize in paired planting pattern at Adet and planting common bean at maize emergence at Finoteselam in maize-common bean intercropping gave maximum land use efficiency and profitability of the cropping system without reducing the main crop yield (maize).This research also suggested further research on the compatibility of various maize and common bean varieties in different spatial and temporal differentiation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Onchocerciasis transmission across international borders is not uncommon, yet a coordinated cross border stops mass drug administration (MDA) decision has not been documented., Methods/principle Findings: The Galabat-Metema focus involves neighboring districts on the border between Sudan and Ethiopia. Mass drug administration (MDA) was provided once and subsequently twice per year in this focus, with twice-per-year beginning in Ethiopia's Metema subfocus in 2016 and in the Sudan's Galabat subfocus in 2008. Ov16 ELISA-based serosurveys were conducted in 6072 children under 10 years of age in the Metema subfocus in 2014, and 3931 in the Galabat in 2015. Between 2014 and 2016, a total of 27,583 vector Simulium damnosum flies from Metema and 9,148 flies from Galabat were tested by pool screen PCR for Onchocerca volvulus O-150 DNA. Only 8 children were Ov16 seropositive (all in the Metema subfocus); all were negative by skin snip PCR. The upper limit of the 95% confidence interval (UCL) for Ov16 seropositive was <0.1% for the overall focus and 0.14 positive fly heads per 2000 (UCL = 0.39/2000). However, an entomological 'hotspot' was detected on the Wudi Gemzu river in Metema district. The hotspot was confirmed when 4 more positive fly pools were found on repeat testing in 2017 (1.04 L3/2000 flies (UCL = 2.26/2000). Information exchange between the two countries led to stopping MDA in a coordinated fashion in 2018, with the exception of the hotspot at Wudi Gemzu, where MDA with ivermectin was increased to every three months to hasten interruption of transmission., Conclusion: Coordinated stop MDA decisions were made by Sudan and Ethiopia based on data satisfying the World Health Organization's criteria for interruption of onchocerciasis transmission. Definitions of entomological 'hotspots' and buffer zones around the focus are proposed., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background . Little is known about birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) plan in resource limited settings to decrease maternal mortality. Therefore, this study was done to assess the status of BPCR and associated factors among pregnant women in South Wollo, Northwest Ethiopia, by involving 819 pregnant women from March to April, 2014. Data were collected by using pretested interviewer administered questionnaire and analyzed using a computer program of SPSS version 20.00. Results . Pregnant women who were prepared for at least three elements of BPCR were 24.1%. Pregnant women knowing at least three key danger signs during pregnancy, delivery, and postnatal period were 23.2%, 22.6%, and 9.6%, respectively. Women having secondary education and higher were 6.20 (95% CI = [1.36, 28.120]) times more likely to be prepared than illiterates. Women having a lifetime history of stillbirth [5.80 (1.13, 29.63)], attending ANC for last child pregnancy [5.44 (2.07, 14.27)], participating in community BPCR group discussion [4.36 (1.17, 16.26)], and having their male partner involved in BPCR counseling during ANC follow-up [4.45 (1.95, 10.16)] were more likely to be prepared. Conclusions . BPCR was very low and should be strengthened through health communication by involving partner in BPCR counseling., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.