Omo International Journal of Sciences

Traditional dairy production and milk handling practices in Mareka district, Dawuro Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

2025-10-14T08:59:04+03:00

This study aimed to assess traditional dairy production, management, and milk handling practices in the Mareka district of the Dawuro zone in southwestern Ethiopia. Samples included 96 dairy cattle-producing households across three agroecological zones. Data collection methods were structured questionnaires, observations, and discussions with key informants. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. According to the study's findings, lactating cows constituted 28% of the overall herd population in the highlands and lowlands and 27% in the midlands. While 83% of households kept animals in the same house as their family, 15% housed them in the kitchen. Notably, cows in the highlands had a significantly shorter calving interval (17.3±0.78 months) compared to the midland (24.5±1.46 months) and lowlands (23.2±1.58 months). Average lactation lasted 229.3±6.69 days, with milking starting 51.6 days after calving. During peak periods, daily milk production per cow varied from 1.22±0.06 liters in the lowland and midland to 1.63±0.10 liters in the highlands. The average lactation yield per cow was 198.82 liters, with higher yields observed in highland cows, followed by midland and lowland cows. The study emphasizes the importance of empowering farmers and improving management practices to enhance the impact of traditional dairy practices on human nutrition and community livelihoods.

Keywords: Calving interval; Lactation length; Traditional dairy production

Intercropping legumes covers with maize on soil moisture improvement in selected dry land areas of Basketo Zone, Ethiopia

2025-10-14T09:08:57+03:00

Intercropping provides sufficient scope to include two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land, targeting higher land productivity. There is limited experimental evidence on the benefits of intercropping systems, which remains largely unstudied. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of intercropping on soil moisture conservation in a moisture-stressed area. For this study, a randomized complete block design was used to establish experimental plots with three replications. Five treatments were evaluated, including maize only, lablab only, cowpea only, lablab with maize, and cowpea with maize. Disturbed soil samples were collected from a depth of 0–30 cm and composited for soil moisture and physicochemical property analysis. The yield and biomass of maize and legume shrubs were collected from each plot, and the variations were analyzed using the general linear model. The land equivalent ratio (LER) was computed to evaluate land productivity. The result showed that higher soil moisture content was recorded on maize-cowpea intercrop (34.33%), followed by maize-lablab intercrop (31.20%) relative to sole maize (26.83%) at the development stage in the first-year trial. This implies the benefit of legume shrubs on soil moisture conservation, both under mono-cropped and intercropped conditions. In this trial, the highest LER values were obtained for maize intercropped with Lablab 1.44 at Angila 4 kebele, while at Angila 3 kebele, the highest LER values were obtained for maize intercropped with cowpea 1.29. Therefore, conducting similar studies for more than two years on permanent field plots is vital to achieving considerable changes in soil moisture and soil physicochemical properties, as well as helping farmers make better use of cereal-legume intercropping systems to increase yields in moisture-stress areas.

Keywords: Intercropping; Legume; Land equivalent ratio; Soil moisture; Yield

Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A): Registration of high-yielding dual purpose oat variety for Ethiopian agriculture

2025-10-14T09:27:01+03:00

The forage dry matter, seed yield, and fodder quality were found to be far below their potential in Ethiopia. One possible reason may be the limited availability of stable, high-yielding quality forage varieties in the mid- and highlands of the country. A field study was conducted to assess and introduce stable, high-yielding, and disease-resistant oat varieties. Eleven genotypes were compared at four locations (Arba Minch, Areka, Bonga, and Hawassa) during the 2018 and 2019 cropping seasons. Then, the performance of Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527) was verified on farms and on-stations and compared with two standard checks (SRCPX80AB2806 and SRCPX80AB2291) during the 2020–2021 main cropping seasons. The Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A) variety performed better in most agronomic traits than both standard checks. Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A) had an average dry matter yield of 12.59 t/ha, a seed yield of 3.6 t/ha, and a crude protein yield of 1.48 t/ha. The yield advantages of dry matter yield, seed yield, and crude protein yield were 8 and 21%, 0 and 9%, and 22.12 and 77.78% over the SRCPX80AB2806 and SRCPX80AB2291 varieties, respectively. Moreover, the new variety had shorter days of flowering and forage harvesting, and was resistant to septoria net blotch and yellow rust diseases. Therefore, Ezo_ote was found to be a superior oat variety in the checks and other trial varieties. The National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) approved Ezo_ote (ILRI_5527A) as a dual-purpose crop variety for cultivation and research in mid to high altitudes of Ethiopia.

Keywords: Avena sativa L; Crude protein yield; Dual purpose; Ezo_ote; ILRI_5527A

The Assuan labeo or Labeo horei Heckel (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Lake Chamo, Ethiopia: Reproductive biology and condition factor

2025-10-14T09:44:21+03:00

The Labeo horei (Heckel, 1847), the Assuan labeo, is an ecologically and economically important fish of Lake Chamo; thus, reproductive biology and condition factors of the fish were investigated in order to provide information essential for appropriate stock exploitation and sustainable management. Fish specimens were collected monthly from sampling stations at Lake Chamo between July 2022 and January 2023. A total of 462 specimens were collected for analysis. The mean condition factor was 1.11, which indicates a good state of wellbeing in the habitat during the period of study. The overall male to female sex ratio (1: 0.83) did not deviate substantially from the anticipated value of 1:1 (x2 = 3.82, P < 0.01). The fecundity of L. horei ranged from 200,000 to 1000,000 eggs and was found in mature ovaries (mean 261,045.8 eggs). These results confirm the suitability of Lake Chamo for the survival of L. horei. There is, however, a need for a systematic closed fishing regime to be employed in order to make way for sustainable growth of L. horei fisheries in the lake Chamo as the fish candidate for future aquaculture development.

Keywords: Breeding season; Condition factor; Fecundity; Fishery; Labeo horei; Lake Chamo

Ethiopian perspectives and scientific explanations of the sun halo phenomenon on April 7, 2022

2025-10-14T09:44:53+03:00

The purpose of this study was to analyze the many interpretations and reactions to the sun halo phenomenon reported in Ethiopia on April 7, 2022, with a particular focus on religious perspectives and scientific analysis. The diameter of the sun halo was measured to be 0.092 km, indicating the peculiarity of this atmospheric occurrence. A study among various religious leaders and community members showed that 80% of respondents considered the phenomenon required special prayers or religious rites, suggesting a significant tendency towards spiritual significance. Additionally, 14% of respondents indicated curiosity regarding the event, suggesting a normal human reaction to odd or incomprehensible situations. Meanwhile, 3% of responders mentioned ceremonial offerings or no specific activities to the sun halo. From a technical aspect, picture analysis of the sun halo revealed an initial pixel count of 108,584 with a standard deviation of 43,265 and a noise standard deviation of 0.0962994, resulting in a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 33.744. This study underlines the clarity and prominence of the sun halo in the obtained image. Furthermore, the study analyzed the relationship between the sun halo and atmospheric conditions, revealing a correlation coefficient of 0.49 on Day 7, coinciding with occasional cloud cover and atmospheric disturbances. The correlation coefficient slightly reduced to 0.48 on Day 8, when the sky was clear. These findings show a probable relationship between the presence of atmospheric disturbances and the appearance of the sun halo, offering a detailed explanation of this remarkable natural phenomenon. To understand the underlying atmospheric dynamics and probable seasonal trends, future studies should concentrate on a more thorough analysis of sun halos, combining a bigger dataset of occurrences across diverse geographical regions and climatic conditions. Further research could examine the psychological and cultural effects of celestial phenomena, such as sun halos, on different cultures, offering more insight into how these occurrences affect cultural norms and belief systems.

Keywords: Sun, halo, scientific, people thought, image