The study was carried out at Agarfa ATVET College dairy farm to evaluate the reproductive performance of Holstein Friesian×Arsi and Holstein Friesian×Boran cattle. For the study, records compiled from 1983 to 2012 at the Agarfa dairy farm were used as original data. The effects of breed, bloodlines, season and parity on the reproductive traits were evaluated. Data were analyzed using the general model of the SAS program. The overall mean±SE of age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), days open (DO), calving interval (CI), number of service per conception (NSPC), breeding efficiency (BE) and longevity were 32.05±0.57 months, 41.16±0.56 months, 194.62±3.42 days, 475.92±3.44 days, 1.35±0.03 service, 68.67±0.01% and 7.77±0.25 years, respectively. Breed had significant effect (P<0.05) on AFS and AFC. Bloodlines, season and parity had significant effect (P<0.01) on DO and CI. Breed, bloodlines, season and parity had significant effect (P<0.01) on breeding efficiency. Season of insemination significantly affect NSPC (P<0.01). Longevity was only affected by bloodlines. Generally reproductive performances found in this study were lower than the performance reported in many tropical regions. Therefore, due consideration should be given in calf and heifer management, heat detection, accuracy of artificial insemination, feeding and health care.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to February 2023 in Ticho District, Arsi Zone, Ethiopia. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants was conducted to document and investigate medicinal plants used to treat human and livestock ailments before people’s knowledge of traditional medicinal plant use vanishes. Ethnobotanical data was collected using semi-structured interviews, field observation, group discussion, guided field work, and market surveys. In this study, 82 informants participated in collecting ethnobotanical. Descriptive statistics and other ethnobotanical indices such as preference ranking, informant consensus, and direct matrix ranking were employed to quantify and analyze the collected data. The study revealed that 78 medicinal plant species belonging to 77 genera and 47 families were identified to treat human and livestock ailments. The highest number of medicinal plant species has contributed by Family Fabaceae 7 (9%). Most of these plants, 64 (81%) were used to treat human ailments followed by 12(15.2%) were used to treat livestock ailments alone. Most medicinal plants of species 48 (61.5%) were collected from the wild. Herbs constituted the largest growth form 28 species (35.9%) followed by shrubs 25 species (32%). The leaf was the most commonly used plant part, accounting for 38 (48.6%), followed by root 14 (17.95%), and bark. Oral administration was the more common route (61.5%), followed by the topical route (32%). The analysis of direct matrix ranking showed that Ficus sycomorus and Podocarpus falcatus are the most widely used multi-purpose plant species by the local community. It is possible to conclude that plants are still valued for their medicinal uses in the Ticho district, and the local community has rich indigenous knowledge of herbal medicinal plant uses. However, the availability of medicinal plants is at risk due to various activities such as agricultural expansion, construction use, firewood production, and charcoal production.  Therefore, the concerned body should apply in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies for the sustainable use of herbal resources and to prevent species from extinction.

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of replacing a concentrate supplement with untreated or calcium hydroxide (3% w/w) treated Acacia toritlis leaves in Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay basal diets on feed intake, digestibility, nutrient retention and rumen fermentation parameters of 54 yearling male goats of Arsi-Bale breed (body wt of 13.78±1.9 kg and 12 months old). The experiment was conducted for 84 days in a 2×5 factorial design (factor 1: alkali treatment of leaves (treated or untreated) and factor 2: five levels of leaves in concentrate mixture). The treatment diets were: UL-0: hay+300 g concentrate mixture; UL-25: hay+225 g concentrate and 75 g untreated dried leaves, UL-50: hay + 150 g concentrate and 150 g untreated dried leaves; UL-75: hay+75 g concentrate and 225 g untreated dried leaves; UL-100: hay+300 g untreated dried leaves; TL-0: hay+300 g concentrate; TL-25: hay +225 g concentrate and 75 g treated dried leaves; TL-50: hay+150 g concentrate and 150 g dried treated leaves; TL-75: hay+75 g concentrate and 225 g treated dried leave and TL-100: hay + 300 g treated dried leaves. Both Ca (OH)2 treat-ment and partial replacement of the concentrate mixture by Acacia leaf meal (ALM) significantly (P<0.05) reduced ether extract (EE), total phenolics (TP), total tannins (TT) and CT contents of the diets. Whereas, dietary concentrations of ash, acid detergent fibre (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and calcium (Ca); intakes of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), nitrogen, Ca and P; digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM), CP and NDF; concentration of rumen ammonia nitrogen and pH of the rumen fluid were significantly (P<0.05) increased by the alkali treatment and partial replacements. In general comparable results of intake, digestibility and balances of nutrients were observed when concentrate ration in the diets was replaced by treated ALM at 75% and untreated 50% in order of importance against untreated leaf meals. It is concluded that partial replacement of acacia leaf meals in the concentrate mixture combined with calcium hydroxide treatment at 75% level gave maximum benefits to goats than other levels of untreated or treated leaves.

Objective: Castor (Ricinuscommunis L.) is an industrial oilseed that belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. Castor is believed to be originated in East Africa probably Ethiopia. Although Ethiopia is known as a primary diversity for castor the knowledge on nature and extent of variation of the indigenous germplasm is limited. The present test was conducted to study the nature and extent of variability among Ethiopian castor accessions.Methods: The test was conducted at Melkassa and Arsi Negelle, in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopiaduring the main season of 2013/14. A total of 105 accessions were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data of 12 characters were collected and analyzed statistically. Combined analysis of variance over locations reveled the existence of significant variation among accession in all the traits considered in this study. The interaction between accessions and environment was significant for eight of the 12 traits studied.Results: The accessions showed a wide range of variation on days to first flowering (52-148), days to second flowering (65-161), days to first maturity (118-217), days to second maturity (142-237), inflorescence length (13-74 cm), node length (2-32 cm), number of nodes/plant (5-26), number of inflorescence/plant (1-26), plant height (89-356), number of branches/plant (1-9), number of capsules/plant (10-350), hundred seed weight (21-99 g),number of seeds/plant (30-990). Overall highest value of heritability, genetic coefficient of variability and genetic advance as percent of the mean was recorded for number of nodes/plant, number of capsules/plant and 100 seed weight.