The quality of coffee produced in Gamo Gofa zone is declining from time to time due to improper harvesting and post-harvest management practices. Consequently, coffee produced under home garden is recognized as forest coffee at national market. Therefore, this study was conducted during 2012-2013 with the objective of assessing factors affecting coffee quality during and after harvest. Totally, 160 household respondents were used from three Woredas for data collection from relevant stakeholders, that is, farmers, middlemen (agents and traders) coffee processors and extension workers. Secondary data on coffee grades was also collected from the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) coffee inspection laboratory located at Wolaita Soddo. Finally, quantitative data was analyzed by employing SPSS (version 20). The results indicated that most of respondents (79.4%) harvest their coffee at majority red ripe stage. Concerning harvesting method, 51.3% of respondents practice selective hand picking, while the rest 48.1% harvest by striping on the ground and collect together with previously dropped cherries. However, appropriate harvesting materials which were reported to have no contact with other chemicals were used by 95% of respondents. From post-harvest handling point of view, coffee drying places (69.4%), lack of appropriate drying (53.8%) and method of harvesting (48.1%) were the top three factors which are significantly affecting coffee quality in Gamo Gofa zone among others. However, 95% of respondents used appropriate harvesting materials, that is, local containers which were reported to have no contact with other chemicals. The results of ECX coffee grading showed that majority of coffee received grade seven, eight and nine out of nine scale commercial grades. Even through, inherent quality of coffee being grown in Gamo Gofa zone is good with bold beans. Thus, improvement on the way people harvest and handle their coffee to maintain inherent coffee quality in Gamo Gofa zone is recommended.
Ethiopia is endowed with diverse agroecologies suitable for the production of tropical, subtropical, and temperate vegetables. Agronomic practices such as plant density and fertilizer management are known to affect the crop environment, which influences the growth and ultimately the yield. So far limited research has been done on plant density determination and rate of nitrogen fertilizer in Ethiopia in general and the study area in particular. Thus, this experiment was carried out to evaluate the influence of plant density and nitrogen fertilizer rates on the yield and yield components of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.). Four plant densities (133 333, 100 000, 80 000, and 66 666 plants per hectare) and four nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates (0, 46, 92, and 138 kg N ha−1) were arranged in a factorial combination in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that the main and interaction effects of plant density and nitrogen fertilizer rates on total root yield, root length, root fresh weight, root diameter, and total soluble solute of beetroot were significant. The highest root yield of beetroot was achieved from the combination of 66 666, 80 000, and 10 0000 plant ha−1 with 92 kg N ha−1, whereas the lowest root yield of beet was obtained from the combination of 0 kg N ha−1 with a planting density of 133 333 plants ha−1. The economic analysis showed that higher net benefit and marginal rate of return were obtained from the application of 92 kg N ha−1 with plant densities of 66 666 plants ha−1. In order to prevent excessive production costs, the use of 66 666 plants ha−1 combined with the application of 92 kg N ha−1 is recommended.
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