Effects of genotype and environment on forage yield, nutritive value and morphology of lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) sweet).

The goal of the study is to determine the effect of genotype and environment on forage yield, forage nutritive value and to determine the relation between morphology and forage yield and nutritive value of lablab. Thirteen genotypes (one local and 12 improved) were replicated 3 times in a randomized complete block trial across three locations in Ethiopian lowlands namely, Bechi, Kite and Tepi. All forage samples were analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) using a combination of conventional nutritional analyses and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. There was a significant (P < 0.001) effect of genotype, location and genotype*location on forage yield of DM, forage yield of CP, forage yield of IVDMD, CP, and IVDMD. The difference between means of minimum and maximum genotypes was 12.9 t/ha of DM, 3.12 t/ha CP, 8.22 t/ha IVDMD, 57 g/kg of CP and 56 g/kg of IVDMD. The correlation between plant morphology and forage yield and nutritive value was weak (r ≤ 0.41) in all locations and the combined data. Both genotype and location should be considered by the farmers when they decide to grow lablab for forage production. Morphological traits of lablab are not suitable to evaluate forage yield and nutritive value. Enhancing the awareness of farmers about the effect genetic-environment interaction effect of forage yield and nutritive value and the relation between morphology and yield and nutritive value would improve the uptake of lablab in mixed the farming system leading to more sustainable agricultural production.

AMMI and GGE Biplot Analyses for Mega-Environment Identification and Selection of Some High-Yielding Oat (Avena sativa L.) Genotypes for Multiple Environments.

This paper reports an evaluation of eleven oat genotypes in four environments for two consecutive years to identify high-biomass-yielding, stable, and broadly adapted genotypes in selected parts of Ethiopia. Genotypes were planted and evaluated with a randomized complete block design, which was repeated three times. The additive main effect and multiplicative interaction analysis of variances revealed that the environment, genotype, and genotype-environment interaction had a significant (p ≤ 0.001) influence on the biomass yield in the dry matter base (t ha-1). The interaction of the first and second principal component analysis accounted for 73.43% and 14.97% of the genotype according to the environment interaction sum of squares, respectively. G6 and G5 were the most stable and widely adapted genotypes and were selected as superior genotypes. The genotype-by-environment interaction showed a 49.46% contribution to the total treatment of sum-of-squares variation, while genotype and environment effects explained 34.94% and 15.60%, respectively. The highest mean yield was obtained from G6 (12.52 kg/ha), and the lowest mean yield was obtained from G7 (8.65 kg/ha). According to the additive main effect and multiplicative interaction biplot, G6 and G5 were high-yielding genotypes, whereas G7 was a low-yielding genotype. Furthermore, according to the genotype and genotype-environment interaction biplot, G6 was the winning genotype in all environments. However, G7 was a low-yielding genotype in all environments. Finally, G6 was an ideal genotype with a higher mean yield and relatively good stability. However, G7 was a poor-yielding and unstable genotype. The genotype, environment, and genotype x environment interaction had extremely important effects on the biomass yield of oats. The findings of the graphic stability methods (additive main effect and multiplicative interaction and the genotype and genotype-environment interaction) for identifying high-yielding and stable oat genotypes were very similar.

Corncob biochar supplementation improves nutrient digestibility, fattening performance and carcass characteristics of fattening sheep.

BACKGROUND: Corncob is a cheap source for biochar in developing countries. No studies reported on use of biochar as sheep fattening supplement. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study is to determine the effect of corncob biochar supplementation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of sheep. METHODS: Twenty-four Horro yearling rams (18.6 ± 0.938 kg live weight) were randomly distributed to four groups, control (300 g/day concentrate + local hay ad libitum), BC1.5 (control +1.5 g/day biochar), BC3 (control +3 g/day biochar) and BC4.5 (control +4.5/day biochar). The experimental concentrate consisted of 200 g/day wheat bran and 100 g/day Noug cake. The study consisted of a growth trial of 111 days followed by a digestibility trial of 10 days. Carcass characteristics for all rams were recorded at the end of the trial. RESULTS: Dry matter intake, crude protein intake, dry matter digestibility and acid detergent fibre digestibility of BC1.5 were significantly higher than the control. Corncob biochar supplementation significantly improved daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio of the rams. Supplementation sheep with corncob biochar improved significantly dressing percentage, hindquarters weight, forequarters weight, ribs weight, brisket weigh and rib eye muscle area. There was a significant effect of the dietary treatment on weight of internal organs; however, they were all within the normal range of sheep. CONCLUSIONS: Corncob biochar supplementation would be recommended at a level of 1.5 g/day to improve growth performance and carcass characteristics of sheep.

Straw dry matter yield and quality of finger millet intercropped with selected vetch species at different seeding ratios in western Oromia, Ethiopia.

This study was conducted to evaluate the straw dry matter yield and quality of finger millet intercropped with three species of vetch (Vicia sativa, Vicia villosa and Vicia atropurpurea) at different seeding ratios in western Oromia, Ethiopia. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) arranged factorially in three replications. The treatment consisted of three vetch species and three seeding ratios (25:75, 50:50 and 75:25% finger millet: vetch respectively) and one pure stand of each as a control. The dry matter yield (DMY) of finger millet straw was different (P < 0.05) for the tested treatment combinations and the highest DMY of finger millet straw (5.85 t ha-1) was obtained from T10. The crude protein yield of finger millet straw was also influenced by the main effect and interaction effects of species and seeding ratio (P < 0.05). According to this study, T10 gave the highest (0.50 t ha-1) crude protein yield of finger millet straw. In general, vetch intercropping with finger millet has improved overall dry matter yield and quality of the intercrops. Thus, T10 was found to be the best treatment tested in terms of dry matter yield and quality to be used in a food/feed production strategy in a mixed crop-livestock production system to alleviate food/feed shortages in Bako and similar agro-ecologies.

Biomass composition and dry matter yields of feed resource available at Lalo kile district of Kellem Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia.

This study aimed to assess the available livestock feed resources in the Lalo kile district of Kellem Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia, in terms of species biomass composition and dry matter yield of dominant forage species. The district was stratified into two agro-ecologies: mid-altitude areas and low-altitude areas. The effects of grazing intensity on dry matter yields and biomass composition were analyzed using a randomized complete block design replicated three times having two blocks differed by two agro-ecologies (three mid-altitude kebeles and three low-altitude kebeles). The present study used seventy-two pasture samples and 20 × 20 m forage trees collected randomly from the two agro-ecologies of the study area. The General Linear Model of the SAS 19.0 version was used to compare the effects of the agro-ecology and species on dry matter yield and biomass composition. The result of the study indicated that the average dry matter yield for grasses, legumes, and other herbaceous forages was 1.156 t/ha, 0.242 t/ha, and 0.182 t/ha, with an overall 1.58 t/ha in the study district, respectively. About 73.13% of grasses, 15.32% of legumes, and 11.55% of other herbaceous were the species biomass composition in the study area. The midland agroecology had the average biomass fodder yields 7.98-19.78 kg/tree and 1.06-2.41 kg/shrub while lowland agroecology had 9.87-178.06 kg/tree and 1.34-3.87 kg/shrub. There was an estimate of 74.36-100 kg/ha fodder shrubs and 500-800 kg/ha fodder trees on cultivated and uncultivated land in the study area. The herbage yield of natural pasture is 1.733 t DMha-1 in the mid and 1.427 t DMha-1 in the low altitudes of the study area, with a mean herbage yield of 1.58 t DMha-1 during vegetation cover. The grazing capacity of the study area was 0.23 TLU/ha/year in the mid and 0.19 TLU/ha/year in the low altitudes of the study area, with a mean value of 0.21 TLU ha/year. The presence of limited grazing land in the study area led to overgrazing, which in turn resulted occurrence of land degradation associated with poor biomass yield, low quality and variable supply of feeds between the season. Therefore, this study suggests setting up land-use regulation policy to allocate separate land for feed production and commonly use for livestock feeding to improve livestock productivity and contribute to food security and poverty alleviation of small holder farmers in the study area.

Assessment of livestock feed supply and demand concerning livestock productivity in Lalo Kile district of Kellem Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia.

The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of seasonality on feed balance in the Lalo kile district of the Kellem Wollega Zone of Western Ethiopia. The district was divided into two agro-ecological zones: mid and low altitude. A total of 127 respondents were chosen to be interviewed. To collect the required data in the study areas, a cross-sectional survey was used. To analyses the qualitative data, descriptive statistics were performed, while the General Linear Model (GLM) method was used to assess the impacts of seasonal feed availability and agro-ecology on dry matter yield and production constraints. The result showed that there has been seasonal fluctuation in the feed availability and the feed is generally abundant from June to September. The feed supply in terms of DM, ME, and DCP per household per year was 118.7 kg, 74,781 MJ/kg, and 118.61kg, respectively. The feed balance was negatively associated and substantially different all across the studied areas (P < 0.01). With a year's approach, the annual total feed supply exceeds only 66.13, 25.81, and 87.24 percent of the DM, DCP, and ME demands per household, respectively. As a result, total dry matter production, digestible crude protein, and metabolizable energy supply were only fulfilled for 9, 3.5, and 12 months in the research area's mid-altitude and 7, 3 and 9 months in the study area's low land altitude, respectively. The main limitations in both agro-ecologies of the research area include low production and reproduction, poor use of existing feedstuffs, and poor adoption of improved forage production. As a result, for successful livestock development in the study area, the adoption of better fodder and supplementation of productive animals should be considered.

Effect of Barley Variety on Feed Intake, Digestibility, Body Weight Gain and Carcass Characteristics in Fattening Lambs.

Twenty lambs (18 ± 0.22 kg initial weight) were blocked by weight and individually assigned into pens to evaluate the effects of barley straw variety on digestibility, growth performance and carcass characteristics. The following four treatments were tested: (1) a local barley straw (as control), (2) HB1963 (high grain and straw yields), (3) Traveller (high straw yielder), and (4) IBON174/03 (high grain yielder). A concentrate (50:50 wheat bran and noug seed cake) was offered constantly (300 DM g), whereas the straw was offered ad libitum. The digestibility trial lasted 22 days (15 days to adapt to dietary treatments and 7 days for sampling). The growth performance trial lasted 90 days. At the end, all of the lambs were slaughtered, and their carcasses were evaluated. The IBON174/03 variety had a higher (p < 0.05) intake of organic matter and crude protein, a higher dry matter and organic matter digestibility than the control, and a faster growth than the control. The feed-to-gain ratio was similar among treatments. The slaughter and empty body weights of lambs in the IBON174/03 group were higher than the control variety (p < 0.05). The present study showed that the feeding value of barley straw can differ substantially between varieties and therefore must be considered in the choice of a barley variety.

Evaluation of dried papaya pomace meal in laying hen diets.

In the search for alternative feed resources for laying hens, papaya pomace is available as industrial by-product but information on its nutritive value is lacking. Dried papaya pomace was included in a common laying hen diet at 0%, 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% to evaluate its effect on egg production performance, egg quality and general health parameters in Bovan brown layers. For every inclusion level, three cages with ten 20-week-old layers were used, making a total of 120 hens. The effect of dried papaya pomace inclusion on egg production, egg quality and general health parameters was evaluated. Dried papaya pomace inclusion improved egg production and laying by 6.15% and 17% respectively, while it significantly decreased feed conversion ratio by 7.5%. Eggshell weight, thickness and strength of PP5 were higher than the control by 0.3 g, 0.8 mm and 0.43 kg/cm2 , respectively. There was a significant improvement in albumin weight (by 1.5 g/L), albumin height (2.1 mm), yolk weight (0.4 g/L), yolk height (0.4 mm), yolk colour (4.4 points) and Haugh unit (8 points) due to PP5 treatment. Inclusion of papaya pomace at a level of 7.5% of layers diet had negative effect on Egg production, feed conversion ratio and interior and exterior egg quality traits. Inclusion of papaya pomace affected significantly serum total cholesterol, serum triglyceride, serum low density lipoprotein, serum high density lipoprotein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and white blood cell count. However, all blood traits of the experimental animals were within the normal ranges reported for layers. Inclusion of papaya pomace in 5% of layers commercial diets improves egg production and quality without negative impact on health while decreasing feeding cost.

Copper, iron, zinc and tannin concentrations throughout the digestive tract of tropical goats and sheep fed a high-fibre tannin-rich diet.

The dry season in tropical regions urges livestock to feed on nutritionally very poor diets. It has not been explored how tropical sheep-assumed grazers-and tropical goats-intermediate browsers-cope with a high-fibre tannin-rich diet. This study was designed to determine the effects of a high-fibre and tannin-rich diet on the flow of important microminerals iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) throughout the digestive tract of tropical sheep and goats. The feeding trial was set up with twelve adult male animals, six sheep with mean body weight (BW) of 30.3 ± 1.6 kg and six goats with mean BW of 26.4 ± 2.2 kg. The feed consisted of 36% leaves of Millettia ferruginea, 61% hay and 3% concentrate and was offered at 3% of BW (all on dry matter (DM) basis). The total faecal collection was carried out for 7 consecutive days. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were slaughtered to collect liver and digesta samples from the gastrointestinal tract. Feed, digesta and faecal samples underwent analysis of Fe, Zn, and Cu and total tannins (TT). Goats had significantly higher reticulum Cu concentrations expressed on DM as compared to sheep. Faecal Cu concentrations were higher for goats compared to sheep. Reticulum and colon digesta Zn levels were higher in goats than sheep. Abomasum and colon Fe levels were higher in sheep than goats when expressed on DM. These results suggest differences in feed intake, micromineral absorption, secretion and excretion between sheep and goats, pointing to a divergent mineral metabolism as an adaptation to the challenge of a dry season diet having very low nutritive value.

Anthelmintic effects of indigenous multipurpose fodder tree extracts against Haemonchus contortus.

Condensed tannins (CT) extracted from Balanites aegyptiaca, Tamarindus indica, and Celtis toka browses were used to evaluate their anthelmintic effect on different developmental stages of Haemonchus contortus. To achieve this objective, various serial concentrations of each CT extract of the foliages were used to test adult motility, inhibition of egg hatchability, and larval development. The fodders were selected based on their multipurpose advantage and accessibility to use as fodder for livestock in the low lands of the Gambella region. The fastest and slowest adult motility rate was observed in 2-ml (4 min) and 0.125-ml dose of C. toka, respectively, which is better than that in ivermectin. Egg hatchability inhibition was observed with dose difference within species, but there is no difference between B. aegyptiaca and T. indica. The foliage extracts of the studied browses were observed to inhibit the larvae by 100% at 2 ml, which is similar to ivermectin. There is no significant difference observed in larvae development inhibition between the species and ivermectin (p > 0.05). CT extracts of studied plants have found to own significant anthelmintic activity in a dose-dependent manner. They could serve as anthelmintic economically and eco-friendly after further and series of in vivo experiments.

Comparison of polyethylene glycol and wood ash extract on feeding value and economic efficiency of mixes of high-tannin feed sources in growing Ethiopian Bonga lambs.

Dietary inclusion of tannin-deactivating agents such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) and wood ash can enhance the feeding value of tannin-containing feeds. To evaluate this, 24 intact male Bonga lambs were divided into three blocks of eight animals per block based on their initial body weight in randomized complete block design with three treatments, 30 days adaptation and 10 days of data collection. The dietary treatments consisted of T1 (= hay 40% + concentrate 5% + Albizia gummifera 30% + Rhus glutinosa 10% + Syzygium guineense 15%), T2 (= T1 + wood ash), and T3 (=T1 + PEG6000). Animals were individually fed at 50 g DM/kg BW and had free access to clean drinking water and mineralized salt licks. Nutrient intake, digestibility, nutrient conversion ratio, and live body weight gains were determined. The condensed tannin concentration in tannin-rich trees and shrubs (TRTS) mix was 140 g DM/kg, respectively. The highest improvement in nutrient intake and apparent digestibility was recorded in T3 compared to other treatments (P < 0.01). The total return (TR) Ethiopian birr/currency (ETB)/sheep was 478 ETB, 554 ETB, and 569.6 ETB for T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Accordingly, the addition of PEG and wood as a tannin-binder improved digestion and performance in sheep, but with the highest effect size was recorded for PEG.

Evaluation of desho grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum) hay as a basal diet for growing local sheep in Ethiopia.

The study was conducted to determine feed intake, digestibility, and body weight (BW) change of Washera sheep fed on desho grass and natural pasture hay as a basal diet and supplemented with concentrate mixtures. Twenty-five intact male sheeps with body weight of 19.4 ± 1.89 kg (mean ± SD) were used in randomized complete block design. The dietary treatments were 100% natural pasture hay (NPH) (T1), 75% NPH + 25% desho grass hay (DGH) (T2), 50% NPH + 50% DGH (T3), 25% NPH + 75% DGH (T4), and 100% DGH (T5). Equal amount of concentrate mixture (CM) (300 g DM/day/h) was supplemented in all of the five treatments. The result of laboratory chemical analysis revealed that the CP content of the basal diets increased with increased proportion of desho grass hay inclusion in the treatments at the expense of natural pasture hay. Total DM, OM, CP, NDF, and ADF intake and digestibility was significant (P < 0.05) and in the increasing order of T1 < T2 < T3 < T4 < T5. The average daily body weight gain (ADG) of experimental sheep was significantly (P < 0.05) higher as proportion of desho grass increased from 0 to 100% in the basal diet. The result indicated that desho grass can be used as a basal diet for local sheep with better performance than natural pasture hay-based diets.

Epidemiology of nematode parasites of sheep around Jimma, southwestern Ethiopia.

An investigation was made into the epidemiology of nematode infections of sheep in two districts of Jimma zone, southwestern Ethiopia. We used two approaches--long-term monitoring of identified sheep for nematode infection and abattoir or market survey for analysis. In the first monitoring regime, we used 80 lambs [40 sheep (20 per sex) from each district (Dedo and Yebu)] averaging 4-5 months of age. Faecal egg counts (FEC), packed cell volume (PCV) and body weight changes were monitored over a period of 1 year. Additionally, faecal samples were collected (on a weekly basis) from sheep brought to abattoir/market for 1 year to monitor faecal egg counts. The nematode parasite burden, as judged by FEC and PCV, was generally low indicating that the climatic conditions are not conducive to the development and survival of nematode eggs and the free-living stages; hence, little transmission occurred. In the experimental flocks, the highest FEC and lower PCV were recorded during the long rainy season (June to September) with peak in August and September. Faecal samples collected from abattoir/market also followed the same trend. Results from experimental sheep indicated that location had a significant (P < 0.01) effect on FEC, PCV and average daily body weight gain. The FEC and PCV for sheep in Yebu (mid-altitude) district were 126 +/- 3.33 and 30.6 +/- 0.26, whereas the values for Dedo (highland) were 93 +/- 4.35 and 32.0 +/- 0.21, respectively. The results indicate that the highland areas are comparatively less favourable to the survival and development of nematodes. Female lambs had lower FEC and higher PCV compared to male lambs (P < 0.05). The overall nematode parasite challenge in the area, however, is low. We, therefore, recommend rotational grazing management combined with monitoring parasite load and selective treatment to reduce productivity loses and pasture contamination.