Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, Ethiopia, is a public institute
dedicated to improve the quality of life of the farming community in Ethiopia
and beyond through science and technology. Bahir Dar University is one of
the seven universities in the Amhara State, Ethiopia, which participated in
some of the latest studies reviewed. The current review reports major findings
of a series of studies carried out on pea aphids in northwestern Ethiopia from
1989 to 2012 (Figure 1).
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HE
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TUDY
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EGION
The State of Amhara of Ethiopia encompasses two ecologically distinct
regions, i.e., western Amhara and eastern Amhara. The study area is situated
in western Amhara, which is also known as north-western Ethiopia, the area
where studies for the current review is based. This area itself is
topographically divided into two main parts, namely the highlands and
lowlands. The highlands are above 1500 meters above sea level and comprise
the largest part of the northern and eastern parts of the region. The highlands
are also characterized by chains of mountains and plateaus. Ras Dejen (4620
m), the highest peak in the country, Guna (4236 m), Choke (4184 m) and
Abune - Yousef (4190 m) are among the mountain peaks that are located in
the highland parts of the region. The lowland part covers mainly the extreme
western and eastern parts of the region with an altitude between 500-1500
meters above sea level. The annual mean temperature for most parts of the
region lies between 15°C-21°C. The State receives the highest percentage
(80%) of the total rainfall in the country. The highest rainfall occurs during the
summer season, which starts in mid June and ends in early September. The
publications reviewed here were carried out near Lake Tana, the largest lake in
the country, 4 thousand km
2
area, the source of the Blue Nile River, which
then becomes the international river Nile. The studies were carried out in
ecologically distinct areas around Lake Tana, i.e., Zemma, Adet, Wondata and
Woreta (Figure 1). Faba bean and field pea are grown on well drained loam
soils and grass pea and lentil on dense black soils on residual moisture.
Wondata and Woreta are black soil dominated, Adet red soil and Zemma
intermediate. Laboratory studies were carried out at Adet.
