Article Information Soil acidity has become a serious threat to crop production in most highlands of Ethiopia in general and in the western part of the country in particular. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate soil acidity tolerant on 25 genotypes of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) on lime treated and untreated acid soils. The genotypes were evaluated based on morpho-agronomic parameters. Soil acidity had an effect on maturity, growth and yield of the tested genotypes. High significant(P<0.01) differences were observed among genotypes for days to maturity, leaf area index, plant height, number of pods per plant, pod length, hundred seed weight, grain yield, pod harvest index and harvest index in lime treated and untreated soils. Considerable variability exists among the genotypes tested based on the growth, and yield components measured for soil acidity tolerance. The genotypes gave higher yield and yield components when grown in lime treated soil than lime untreated with average yield reduction of 26% due to soil acidity effect. Relative grain yield was calculated as the ratio of grain yield in lime untreated to lime treated soil also showed higher significant differences among the tested genotypes. Genotypes such as Dimtu, new BILFA 58, Beshbesh, SER176, new BILFA51 and new BILFA 61 gave higher absolute and relative yield, whereas Dinknesh, Chore, Nasser and new BILFA 60 gave lower absolute grain and relative yield. Moreover, the great variability of 25 common bean genotypes exhibited a good potential to screening large germplasm of common bean for soil acidity tolerance and develop a cultivar that are tolerant to soil acidity in the country.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a plant with a major economic importance and has medicinal purposes. Garlic due to poor root system has high demands on soil and fertilizer needs. Andosols and Vertisols, the soils in Debre Zeit area in central organic matter and mineral nitrogen. The aim of the study was to determine effect of applying mineral nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur fertilizers on growth, yield, yield attributes, and economic returns of the garlic crop o (Andosols and Vertisols). The treatments consisted of three rates of nitrogen (0, 92, 138 kg N ha-1), three rates of phosphorus (0, 40, 80 kg P ha kg S ha-1). Plant growth parameters, including plant height, leaf number, neck diameter and leaf area index were recorded at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after planting. There were also marked mean bulb weight, bulb diameter, mean clove weight, harvest index and biological yield. From the results of study, was found that the growth, yield and yield attributes of garlic bulbs increased significantly with the increases in the rates of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur and with further increased growth stages of the plant. A significantly yield was obtained from Andosols than Vertisol sulphur significantly influenced the economic returns of garlic on both soil types in addition to the growth and yields of the crop. Based on the obtained application of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur at the rates of 92, 40 and 30 kg ha enhanced production of garlic on both soil types. The results further showed that garlic productivity and profitability was markedly higher on Andosol farmers in the study are could apply 92 kg N ha optimum productivity of the crop for enhanced household income and livelihoods.

Garlic is an important cash crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Bulb quality is an important attribute that adds to the use and marketability of the crop. However, garlic bulb quality is constrained by several factors in the country among which imbalanced and low availability of nutrients in the soil is prominent. Therefore, a study was conducted on two soil types (Andosol and Vertisol) with the objective of elucidating the effect of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur application on the quality of the crop. The treatments consisted of three levels of nitrogen (0, 92, 138 kg N ha-1), three levels of phosphorus (0, 40, 80 kg P ha-1), and three levels of sulphur (0, 30, 60 kg S ha-1). The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement with three replications on each soil type. The results revealed that the main as well as the interaction effects of N, P, and S fertilizers on both soil types significantly (P ≤ 0.05) influenced bulb quality, namely, dry matter percentage, total soluble solids, pungency, bulb protein content, and bulb weight loss in storage, and concentrations of major nutrients in the bulb tissues. The bulb quality indices studied on both soil types correlated positively and significantly with each other but had a negative correlation with bulb weight loss. This result indicates favorable effects of integrated application of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur on garlic bulb quality. Combined applications of 92 kg N + 40 kg P + 30 kg S ha-1 and 138 kg N + 40 kg P + 60 kg S ha-1 led to the attainment of optimum bulb quality attributes on Andosol and Vertisol, respectively. However, it was application of 92 kg N + 40 kg P + 30 kg S ha-1 that was found to be economical for farmers.

Article InformationFarmers strive to produce high yield and good quality garlic both for consumption and economic value but soil fertility depletion is among the major impediments to sustained garlic production, especially in the less developed countries, because of limited application of suitable rate, type and sources of fertilizers. Thus, the study was conducted on Andosol and Vertisol soils at Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia, for two consecutive (dry and main rainy) seasons to assess the effect of various rates of compound fertilizers on growth, and nutrient content and uptake of garlic. The treatments consisted of control (unfertilized), one level of recommended NP (92/40 kg ha -1 ), three levels of Azofertil (100, 200, 300 kg ha -1 ), four levels of Basic (100, 200, 400, 600 kg ha ). The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design with three replications at each site. The morphological characters like plant height, neck thickness and leaf area index of garlic at different growth stages, and the contents and uptake of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur of the crop were significantly increased due to the applications of higher levels of Azofertil, Basic and D-coder compound fertilizers on Andosol soil during both seasons. However, the lowest growths, and nutrients content and uptake were recorded from the garlic plants fertilized with lower levels of the three compound fertilizers, recommended NP and the control plot, especially on Vertisol. Generally, plant growths, and nutrients contents and uptake of garlic exhibited good results with the application of D-coder fertilizer at the rate of 200 kg ha -1 followed by Azofertil at the rate of 300 kg ha -1 on Andosol during dry season by irrigation.

The use of optimum seeding rate for the genotype may enhance productivity and grain protein content of durum wheat. Therefore, an experiment was conducted at two locations in south-eastern Ethiopia during the main cropping season of 2008 with the objective of elucidating the effects of seeding rate and genotype on agronomic performance and grain protein content of the crop. The experiment consisted of factorial arrangements of four improved durum wheat genotypes and five seeding rates, which were laid out as a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Seeding rates significantly influenced agronomic performances including number of fertile spikes m-2, plant height, number of seeds spike-1, and grain yield. Number of fertile spikes m-2 was increased proportionally with the seeding rate and the highest number (382 spikes m-2) was recorded in the highest seeding rate of 200kg ha-1. Inversely, the highest number of kernels spike-1 (29.8) was at the seeding rate of 100 kg ha-1. The highest grain yield (4341 kg ha-1) was obtained in response to seeding rate of 175 kg ha-1, which was in statistical parity with the yield obtained at the seeding rate of 150 kg ha-1. However, grain protein content was not influenced by the seeding rates. There were significant (P ≤ 0.05) variations among the genotypes for all the agronomic traits measured. The largest number of fertile spikes m-2 was recorded for the genotypes Oda (360 spikes m-2) and Bakalcha (345 spikes m-2). Genotype Illani produced the longest spike (6.9 cm). Oda and Illani produced the highest numbers of seeds spike-1, 38.8 and 36.9, respectively. The number of fertile spikes m-2, number of seeds spike-2 and kernels weight significantly contributed grain yield. The genotypes had exhibited less variation for grain protein content. Except for grain yield and harvest index, seeding rate x genotype interaction had no significant effect on other agronomic traits. Highest grain yields of 4938 kg ha-1 and 4774 kg ha1 were obtained from genotypes Ejersa and Bakalcha when sown at the seeding rate of 150 kg ha-1 and 175 kg ha-1, respectively. Grain protein response was significantly influenced by the interaction effect in which genotype Oda had the highest (12.9%) and lowest (10.5%) protein contents at the highest (200 kg ha-1) and lowest (100 kg ha-1) seeding rates, respectively.