Characterizing and describing soils and land use and make a suggestion for sustainable utilization of land resources in the Ethiopian Rift valley flat plain areas of Lake Chamo Sub-Basin (CSB) are essential. To (1) characterize soils of experimental area according to World Reference Base Legend and assess the nature and extent of salinity problems; (2) characterize land use systems and their role in soil properties; and (3) identify best land use practices used for both environmental management and improve agricultural productivity. Twelve randomly collected soil samples were prepared from the above land uses into 120 composites and analyzed. Organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN) were varied along different land uses and depleted from the surface soils. The soil units include Chernozems (41.67%), Kastanozems (25%), Solonchaks (16.67%), and Cambisols (16.67%). The identified land uses are annual crops (AA), perennial crops (PA), and natural forest (NF). Generally, organic carbon, total nitrogen, percentage base saturation (PBS), exchangeable (potassium, calcium, and magnesium), available phosphorus (P2O5), manganese, copper, and iron contents were decreased in cultivated soils. Soil salinity problem was observed in annuals. Annuals have less nutrient content compared to perennials in irrigated agriculture while it is greater in annuals under rainfed. Clay, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium (K2O) contents were correlated positively and highly significantly with organic carbon and electrical conductivity. Management practices that improve soil quality should be integrated with leguminous crops when the land is used for annual crops production.

The choice of an appropriate tester is important for success in resistance hybrid breeding programs. Limited information is available on the most suitable testers that allow the selection of yellow endosperm maize inbred lines with good combining ability for resistance to witchweed (Striga hermonthica) and superior agronomic performance in hybrids targeted to areas infested with the parasite. Testcrosses of 30 Striga-resistant yellow endosperm maize inbred lines with three testers having varying levels of resistance to S. hermonthica were evaluated at Abuja and Mokwa in Nigeria under Striga-infested and non-infested conditions in 2018 and 2019. The lines × tester interaction was significant for grain yield under Striga infestation, indicating that the performance lines in testcrosses varied with the testers. The respective average general combining ability effect of lines and testers was 1.5 and 32.4 times greater than the corresponding specific combining ability effects under infestation, showing the greater importance of additive gene action controlling the performance of testcrosses under Striga infestation. The different testers exhibited a different capacity to discriminate among the test lines with the susceptible tester being the least effective. Most of the criteria used to determine the best tester favored the selection of the tolerant and resistant testers as promising candidates to identify superior Striga-resistant yellow endosperm inbred lines for the hybridization and development of resistant hybrids. The results of this study demonstrated that testers with a high frequency of desirable alleles were superior to the tester with a low frequency of favorable alleles in hybrid breeding programs for resistance to S. hermonthica.

A desirable tester that elicits greater genetic difference in Striga resistance among test crosses in a breeding program has not been reported. Therefore, this study was conducted to characterize 30 Striga resistant yellow endosperm maize inbred lines and three testers with varying resistance levels to Striga using DArTseq SNP markers and agronomic traits to identify a suitable tester for resistance hybrid breeding. Marker-based and agronomic trait-based genetic distances were estimated for yellow endosperm maize inbred lines and testers with varying resistance levels to Striga. The Marker-based cluster analysis separated the Striga resistant lines and testers into two distinct groups. Although the susceptible tester (T3) was the most distantly related to the 30 Striga resistant inbred lines, it exhibited a narrower range in genetic distance estimates and poor agronomic performance under Striga infestation in crosses with the resistant lines. In contrast, the resistant tester (T2) showed a broader range in genetic distance estimates in pairs with the 30 resistant lines. Also, it formed many high yielding hybrids with desirable traits under parasite pressure. Furthermore, the most significant positive association between agronomic trait-based and marker-based distance estimates (r = 0.389, P = 0.01) was observed when T2 has paired with the Striga resistant maize inbred lines. It thus appears that T2 may be used as a suitable tester to determine the breeding value of lines in hybrid maize resistance breeding programs. T2 was the most suitable tester, with a tolerant tester (T1) as an alternative tester to characterize the combining ability of Striga resistant maize inbred lines. This result can also encourage other breeders to investigate testers relative discriminating ability with varying levels of resistance in hybrid breeding for resistance to diseases, pests, and other parasitic plants.

Background: Using a desirable tester is considered one method used to maximise genetic differences among test crosses derived from new inbred lines and improves the overall performance of maize. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the potency of the tester with varying levels of resistance to Striga hermonthica in determining the testcross performance of the hybrids for Striga resistance and yield-related traits. Method: The experiment was conducted with these test crosses and two standard checks (susceptible and tolerant) for different Striga resistance and agronomic traits during the 2018 cropping season in Abuja and Mokwa, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a 23 × 4 alpha-lattice design with two replications in each location. Field evaluation data was collected from Striga resistance and yield-related traits to estimate the performance of test crosses. Analysis of variance was conducted to determine the variance of the testcross performance. Results: There were significant differences among test crosses for days to silking, days to pollen shedding, ear at harvest, ear aspect, ear per plant, grain yield, Striga damage rating at 8 and 10 weeks after planting (WAP), and Striga count at 8 and 10 WAP. Variations among test crosses were always higher than the corresponding variations due to the interaction between test crosses and the environment for all traits. Conclusion: The inbred lines with low yield reduction crossed with different testers under Striga infested were recorded. These inbreds should be used to develop high-yielding hybrids and synthetics with elevated levels of Striga resistance to improve the maize breeding program.

Haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important cash crop and protein source for farmers in many parts of Ethiopia. However, its production is limited by phosphorus fertilizer. Therefore, field experiment was conducted at the Malle woreda in Koybe kebele farmers training center during the main rain season of 2016 to investigate the responses of haricot bean to different levels of phosphorus fertilizer and its effect on growth, and bean yield. Four phosphorus rates (0, 23, 46, and 69kg ha-1) were used as treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Red Wolaita haricot bean variety was used as planting material. Recommended rate of N (46 kg/ha) was applied to all treatments. The effect of phosphorus was significantly (P less than 0.05) increased bean yield and growth parameters such as leaf area and number of branches per plant, whereas its effect was not significant on plant height. Based on result obtained, application of 46kg P ha-1 is recommended for better production of haricot bean at Malle woreda and similar areas which have the same soil property.

Ethiopia is identified as a primary centre of Arabica coffee plant origin and genetic diversity. Climatic variations, varietal differences, soil type, mulching, shade, the farming method used, pruning, and other cultural practices are the major factors that affect the development of plants including coffee. Amongst the various factors for having a good yield of coffee is growing of coffee plant in its specific agro-ecologies which has a great contribution to both the life span of the coffee trees and its yield. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of different released and local Arabica coffee varieties across two locations at Gamo and Gofa zones, Southern Ethiopia. The varieties which were used for the study were transplanted in 2014 and laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications across locations. The varieties were planted at a spacing of 2m by 2m between plants and rows, respectively and were evaluated for growth, yield and yield components. The analysis of variance performed for average internodes number, canopy diameter, height up to the primary branch, length of the primary branch, number of branches on the main stem and total height of coffee plant showed significant variations across locations. From the present evaluation, it was noted that the highest Clean Coffee Yield (16.6 and 14.2 qt ha‑1) was scored by coffee cultivars F-59 and 1377A, respectively. Moreover, because of the low quality of coffee delivered to the market, the coffee produced in the Gamo Gofa area (garden coffee) is categorized under forest coffee at the national level. If the quality is improved, the coffee in the area would have its appropriate brand name and the growers and traders can get better returns from their investment. Therefore, those varieties investigated are good candidates for future coffee cup quality analysis. Key words: Canopy diameter; Local and improved variety; Growth; Performance; Yield.