Sustaining crop production and productivity in sub-Saharan Africa requires the availability and use of quality seed of improved varieties by smallholder farmers. The private sector has been considered as the best way to sustain seed supply and crop productivity. Unfortunately, the private sector’s share in the seed production and delivery in sub-Saharan Africa countries has not been very substantial for decades. As a consequence, farmer access to quality seed of recently released varieties remains very low. This manuscript analyzes the experiences of informal seed producers who graduated to formal private seed enterprises to understand the effectiveness of the support they receive to become viable seed ventures. We used comparative research methods to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data collected to understand the underlying mechanisms. The findings showed that the analyzed seed enterprises started with as little as about USD 300 and have already multiplied over tenfold their initial capital. They benefited from a wide variety of supports, e.g., quality seed production, marketing, partnerships, and value chain development trainings and infrastructures, from extension workers, research centers, national and international NGOs, and the other private seed enterprise operators like large public seed enterprises and agro-dealers. The seed enterprises are producing pre-basic, basic, and certified seed of cereals and self-pollinated legume crops delivered directly to farmers, institutional markets, and agro-dealers. The seed production data have been increasing for the past three years with an area expanding from about 30 ha to over 150 ha per year for chickpea. The seed production and delivery practices being employed are smallholder farmer-based practices that are environmentally friendly. For sustainable and reliable seed production and delivery systems in sub-Saharan Africa, a bold step is needed whereby the informal seed production entities are nurtured and upgraded into formal certified seed production ventures that deliver social and economic benefits to the promotors and the communities.

Field bindweed is the major weed problem for tef producers across the central highlands of Ethiopia. Herbicide application alone or coupled with once or twice hand weeding for field bindweed control is difficult due to its biological features, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. The field trial was carried out at Debre Zeit from 2020 to 2021 cropping seasons to investigate different postemergence herbicides against the grass and broadleaf weeds, in general, and field bindweed in particular, in tef farming, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. As a result, we could see that the herbicide combination had no visible effect on durum wheats overall performance, which makes us recommend it for the control of field bindweed. In the sequential application, a wide spectrum of herbicides (Musket Power OD 460, Pallas 45 OD, and Sekator OD 375) were applied at tillering stage, and other selective herbicides (Derby 175 SC and 2,4-diamine salt 720g/L 720g/L) were applied at the heading stage, and the last nonselective herbicide (Roundup) was applied at physiological maturity of tef when the Convolvulus arvensis was regrowth naturally/latecomer weed. All postemergency herbicide treatments reduced significantly both broadleaf and grass weeds, in general, and C. arvensis infestation, in particular, when compared to the weedy control. Of these, Musket Power OD 460 at tillering stage integrated with 2,4-diamine salt 720g/L at the heading stage was more effective than other herbicides for eliminating all weeds and C. arvensis in particular throughout the crop life. This weed management option resulted in considerably enhanced weed control efficiency and weed killing potential, reduced weed dry biomass and yield loss, improved grain yield, and economic benefit with an acceptable marginal rate of return for tef growers.

Poor agronomic management such as nutrient management and plant density are critical challenges of lentil production in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effects of different row spacing and phosphorus (P) applications on the seed yield of lentil at Ude and Minjar, in 2017 up to 2019. The experiment was conducted in completely randomized block design with three replications. The treatments were comprised of a factorial arrangement of three levels of row spacing (20, 30 and 40 cm) and four levels of P fertilizer (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg P2O5 ha-1). The result revealed that at Ude, the row spacing x P fertilizer interactions was a significant effect on the biomass, seed, and haulm yield of lentil. However, at Minjar; only the main effects of row spacing and P fertilizer had a significant effect on biomass, seed, and haulm yield. Phosphorus agronomic use efficiency was significantly influenced by the interaction of row spacing and P fertilizer. As a result, the highest phosphorus agronomic use efficiency was recorded at 30 kg P2O5 ha-1coupled with 20 cm row spacing at both locations. The economic analysis revealed that 20 cm row spacing and 30 kg P2O5 ha-1fertilizer managements gave the highest net benefit and acceptable marginal rate of return (MRR) as compared to other practices at both locations. Therefore, 20 cm row spacing and 30 kg P2O5 ha-1rate of fertilizer would be recommended to enhance the productivity of lentil in the study areas.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is a major food crop in Ethiopian. It is affordable protein source and important in sustaining soil fertility through nitrogen fixation. However, its current national productivity of 1.46 t ha^-1 is lower than its potential due to inadequate agronomic management practices, nutrient imbalance and lack of indigenous or commercial Rhizobium strains of lentil. Therefore, the field experiment was conducted at Ada’a district under rain-fed condition during 2016/17 main cropping season to assess the role of S and Rhizobium inoculant on nodulation, nutrient utilization and yield response of lentil. The experiment consisted of three levels of S (0, 20 and 40 kg ha^-1) and Rhizobium inoculant (un-inoculated and inoculated) in a factorial combination using Alemaya lentil variety as a test crop. The experiment was conducted using randomized complete block design with three replications. The result showed the interaction of sulphur fertilization and Rhizobium inoculant were significant on days to flowering, number of nodules plant^-1, nodule dry weight plant^-1, number of seeds pod^-1, aboveground dry biomass, seed yield, seed S uptake, haulm S uptake, total S uptake, sulphur agronomic and recovery efficiency as well as sulphur harvest index. Application of 40 kg S ha^-1 without Rhizobium inoculant led to produce the highest seed yield (2.27 t ha^-1) and delayed days to flowering (46 days) of lentil whereas, the highest nodule dry weight plant^-1 (1.1mg) and sulphur harvest index (17.68%) were obtained at the rate of 40 kg S ha^-1under Rhizobium inoculations. On the other hand the maximum number of nodule plant^-1 (15.60), number of seed pod^-1 (1.99), total aboveground dry biomass (8.22 t ha^-1), Sulphur agronomic efficiency (32.11kg ha^-1), sulphur recovery efficiency (66.00 kg ha^-1) were obtained in response to sulphur application at 20 kg ha^-1 under Rhizobium inoculations. Moreover, Rhizobium inoculation without S fertilization gave the highest seed (3.88kg ha^-1), haulm (23.33kg ha^-1) and total S uptake (24.89 kg ha^-1). Rhizobium inoculation without S application had high net benefit, relatively low variable cost with an acceptable and maximum MRR for lentil production in Ada'a district. However, since the experiment was conducted only for one season and one site, repeating the trial at different sites as well as in the same trial site would be important in order to draw sound recommendation.