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EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED USE OF GRASS STRIP COMBINED WITH SOIL BUNDS ON SELECTED SOIL PROPRIETIES: A CASE OF DALTA SUB WATERSHED IN ESSERA DISTRICT, SOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA
(Hawassa University, 2024-10-23) TIZITAW GODARO TOLOLA
Soil erosion by water constitutes to the most widespread and damaging process of soil
degradation. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of integrated use of grass strip
combined with soil bunds on selected soil proprieties, to evaluate the Effects of integrated use
of soil bund and grass strip combined with soil bunds under different slope gradient and To
assess farmer’s adoption on using grass strip combined with soil bunds as soil erosion
conservation measures at Dalta sub-watershed. 246-households selected randomly from three
kebeles by using systematic random sampling techniques. Three land management practices
(Land treated with soil bund alone, soil bund with grass strip and untreated adjacent control
plot) were evaluated under three slope of lower slope (3-8%), middle slope (8-15%) and
upper slope (15-30%). A total of 27 soil samples were collected from the top 20 cm soil depth
with three replication in ‘X’ design square from 10 m x 10 m plots. The results showed that
soil Bulk density (Bd), moisture content (MC), soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), total
nitrogen (TN) available phosphorous (Av.p) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were
significantly (p≤0.05) different on land treated by soil bund and soil bund with grass strip as
compared to the untreated adjacent control plots. The result also showed, the contents of
sand, silt and clay were significantly different with the change in the slope gradient. There
were no significant (p≤0.05) differences on soil texture between the conserved and non conserved lands but significant difference with respect to slope gradient. The contribution of
soil bund and soil bund with grass strip were effective and promising for land rehabilitation
and improving soil properties through minimizing erosion and farmers’ adoption towards the
practices at Dalta sub watershed, southwestern Ethiopia.
Generally, the difference observed in soil physical and chemical properties between slope
positions is not due to grass strip malfunction at slope positions but caused by past erosion
events and topographic effects on soil property. Moreover, further research need to be
conducted on socio-economic aspects for a better understanding the impact of integrated soil
and water conservation interventions.
ASSESSMENT OF SWEETPOTATO (Ipomea batatas L.) PRODUCTION AND EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT STORAGE MATERIALS FOR ROOTS TO BE USED AS A SOURCE OF PLANTING MATERIAL
(Hawassa University College of Agriculture, 2020) TINSAE ABRHAM AMANUEL
Sweetpotato is commonly known as the poor man’s crop in Ethiopia and one of the food security crops in the country. However, its production and productivity is constrained by the limited access of quality planting material at the onset of the rainy season. Therefore, a household survey was conducted to determine its major production constraints in the three major sweetpotato growing Kebeles (Gere Bulgita, Tikare Kokere and Wera Boshera) of Misrak Badewacho district. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the households. The result revealed that drought (27%), rodents attack during storage (42%), shortage of planting materials (15%) and lack of suitable storage (30%) were identified as the major sweetpotato production constraints in the study area. Based on the survey result the second experiment was conducted to evaluate the storage and growth performance of roots of selected sweetpotato varieties under different storage types as sources of planting materials. The experiment was consisted of three sweetpotato varieties (Awassa-83, Ogan-Sagan and Wolaita-local) with five storage types (straw, soil, ash, sawdust and sand storage) in Complete Randomized Design in three replications. Result revealed that, the combination of Awassa-83 variety and sand storage were performed better in percentage of decay, weight loss and weevil damage; whereas the main effects of variety and storage types were significantly different in length of vine and number of vine per storage. Thus, Awassa-83 variety stored in sand storage showed better performance after storage and can be recommended for maintaining the storage roots during dry periods and access of quality vines at the onset of the rainy season.
EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF IN SITU RAINWATER HARVESTING TECHNIQUES ON MAIZE PRODUCTION IN MOISTURE STRESS AREAS OF HUMBO WOREDA,WOLAITA ZONE, SNNPRS, ETHIOPIA
(Hawassa University, 2019-10-28) WUDNESH NABA YAYA
Rainfall fluctuations, dry spells and drought are the main constraints for rain fed
agriculture. In recent years the yield and productivity of maize have been declining
drastically. This is mainly attributed due to the lack of appropriate soil and rainfall
management practices. This situation is envisaged can be improved under the prevailing
conditions by adopting simple water harvesting techniques with the intention of raising
and sustaining maize productivity. Accordingly a study was conducted to investigate the
effect of some In situ water harvesting techniques on performance of maize crop with
respect to soil moisture content, yield and yield components and to assess farmers'
perception of water conservation techniques. To achieve the objectives of the study data
and information collected through house hold survey and field experiment. The experiment
was conducted in Wolaita Zone Humbo Woreda at Abela Sippa kebele, which has an
irregular rain fall distribution and a prolonged dry season which leads low soil moisture
availability during critical crop growth stages. The study was conducted over a period of
one growing season (2010/11) using maize as indicator crop at the farmers training center
of the Abela Sippa kebele. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block
design, with three replications and four treatments. The four treatments used in the study
were; Control, Targa , Tie ridge and Zai pits . Findings from this study revealed that
maize grain yield and yield components, such as, grain yield, dry matter biomass, and cob
length were highly significant (p<0.05) by Targa treatments, but plant height was not
significant different. Soil-moisture content over the crop growing season at dry spell
periods was significantly higher in Targa and Tie ridges than the control. Targa
treatments increased maize yield production to (7.15 ton/ha), Tie ridge increased
significantly maize production to (6.19ton/ha), Zai pits yielded (4.5ton/ha) and Control
treatment yielded (4.9 ton/ha). Targa and Tie ridge treatments recorded higher net returns
(29712, and 25164 ha-1) than Control (20370ha-1) and Zai (14350 ha-1) treatments. The
results revealed that the rainwater harvesting technology by the community members to be
a good initiative in improving agricultural practices in periods of water scarcity. But, the
utilization of the technology is surrounded by various constraints. The major constraints
include: labour, cost, lack of knowledge and crops planted on bunds. The findings suggest
that Targa structure improved water availability during the growing season, thereby
protecting crops from dry periods and it needs minimum cost, less labour power ,and
easily constructed by local farmers(not require complicated knowledge)
LAND USE LAND COVER CHANGE DYNAMICS AND SOIL LOSS: GIS AND REMOTE SENSING BASED ANALYISIS, IN SHASHOGO WEREDA, HADIYA ZONE, SNNPRS, ETHIOPIA
(Hawassa University, 2018-10-26) YOSEPH DEBOCH HANKORE
The relationship between land use land cover change dynamics and soil loss over the last four
decades (1973-2015) was investigated using GIS and Remote Sensing data at Shashogo Wereda,
Hadiya Zone, SNNPRS, Ethiopia. In order to achieve these, satellite data of Landsat 1 MSS for
1973, Landsat 5 TM for 1986, Landsat 7 ETM plus for 2000, and Landsat 8 OLI for 2015 have
been obtained and pre-processed using ERDAS Imagine 2014 software. The Maximum
Likelihood Algorithm of Supervised Classification has been used to generate LULC maps.
Ancillary data were used to validate the classified LULC maps. For the accuracy of classified
LULC maps, a confusion matrix was used to derive overall accuracy and results were above the
minimum and acceptable threshold level. For change detection statistics, cross-tabulation
matrices method was employed to identify gains and losses between LULC classes. The study
analyzed the magnitude of spatial and temporal LULC changes for three consecutive periods; 1973
to 1986, 1986 to 2000, and 2000 to 2015. Moreover, the soil loss from the watershed was
estimated using USLE employing GIS tools. Results of the study revealed that the study area has
undergone substantial LULC changes. Over the 42yrs, the aerial coverage of cultivated land was
increased from 43.9 to 63.0% between 1973 and 2015. Similarly, water body and wetland were
increased from 0.6 to 3.9% and 4.4 to 6.7% respectively. Settlement area which was not found in
the first and second period of study years, satellite image result have 2.9% proportion in 2015
LULC classification. On the other hand, grass land, bush land, and bare land were decreased
from 16.1 to 6.5%, 28.6 to 12.4%, and 6.4 to 4.5% between 1973 and 2015, respectively.
Following the land use change pattern, soil loss values were increased in 2015. The estimated
soil loss rate in the watershed was 14.31t/ha/yr in 2015. The findings of this study suggested that
the rate of LULC change over the study period, particularly intensively cultivated land, bare
land, and soil erosion problems need to be given due attention to maintain the stability of the
ecosystem
PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY AND YIELD RESPONSE OF COMMON BEAN (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)VARIETIES UNDER DIFFERENT SOIL MOISTURE LEVELS AT HAWASSA, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA
(Hawassa University College of Agriculture, 2020) REFISA JEBESSA GELETA
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an herbaceous annual leguminous plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green unripe pods. Bean is particularly suitable for food security due to its short growing cycle and adaptability to different cropping systems. However, the common bean productivity is commonly influenced by different biotic and abiotic factors. Soil moisture is one of the main environmental factors affecting growth and crop yield. A pot experiment was performed to study the effects of moisture stress on the morphological, physiological traits, and yield components of common bean varieties under shade house. The treatment comprised a factorial combination of five common bean Varieties (Hirna, kufanzik, Awash-1, Ado, Chercher) and three moisture levels (control, waterlogging stress, and drought stress) with three replication, totally 15 treatment combination was formed. The drought stress and waterlogging treatments were imposed at 20 days after planting, as soon as the commencement of trifoliate leaves. The result of this finding revealed that all growth parameters were significantly influenced by moisture levels; however, crop phenology influenced by the interaction effect of main factors. photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, relative water content, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, chlorophyll (a+b), chlorophyll fluorescence, pods per plant, seeds per plant, grain yield per plant and harvest index were significantly influenced by the interaction effect of varieties and moisture levels, but free proline content was increased similarly under control and drought stress. Stomata number, epidermal cell number, stomata width, and stomata length were only influenced by varieties. The result also indicated that the morphological and physiological reactions to drought stress and waterlogging stress were varies among varieties. Varieties exposed to water stress and waterlogging significantly reduced all tested parameters, except for crop phenology and proline concentration as compared to daily watering (control) treatment. Ado and Awash-1 were relatively susceptible to damage when drought stress and waterlogging stress occurred compared to Hirna, Chercher, and Kufanzik. From this study Hirna and Kufanzik Varieties were considered as tolerant as they were able to maintain their phenotypic plasticity and performed better yield compared to Chercher, Awash-1 and Ado, but Chercher variety was able to tolerate under logging stress than others, however, this study was conducted on a specific common bean variety in one season. Further research is hence needed under field condition to determine the water stress effects on a large number of common bean varieties before generalized conclusions can be drawn.