Seed Technologist (Ph.D. and MSc.) and Agronomist (B.Sc.) by training with over 30 years of experience working as professional and managerial staff at national and international levels. I have an extensive firsthand working experience with government officials, NARS managers, national seed program leaders, regional organizations , international and advanced research centers, international development partners and donor communities for mobilizing resources and seed sector development. Highlights of my experience include broad knowledge of organizational, managerial, institutional, regulatory and policy issues for an all-inclusive, competitive and sustainable development of national seed sector in developing countries. Phone: +251911225674 Address: ICARDA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
International journal of agricultural science and food technology, Jan 18, 2021
The production and productivity of fi eld pea crop in Amhara region depends mainly on the un avai... more The production and productivity of fi eld pea crop in Amhara region depends mainly on the un availability of quality seed supply system for a number of improved varieties. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the quality and seed management practices of fi eld pea seeds from the informal and formal seed systems in Enarj Enawuga and Yilmana Densa Districts during 2016/17 cropping season. Seed samples of two fi eld pea varieties were collected from both formal and informal sectors and tested for quality in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications. The quality of seed samples had signifi cant difference for physical purity, germination and vigor indices among seed samples. Except for other crop seeds, all the seed samples from informal seed sector maintained the physical /analytical/ purity of seed quality components (above the standards). Most of the seed samples except four samples (seed samples collected from farmer two and twelve of Enarj Enawuga districts who grow Tegegnech variety (F2 and F12), farmer 18 and 22 of Yilmana Densa districts who grow Tegegnech variety (F18 and F22) had registered germination capacity above the standards (75%). The speed of germination was better to predict fi eld emergence of the seed lot than the standard germination. Seedborne fungi such as Ascochyta pinodes, Ascochyta pisi, Fusarium sp, Phoma sp, Septoria pisi, Colletotrichum sp were found associated with the fi eld pea seed. Among those fungi Ascochyta pinodes was the dominant. Most farmer seed management practices enable to maintain and improve their fi eld pea seed quality in both districts. Extension should play a crucial role in training farmers in on-farm quality seeds of the fi eld pea crop production and is therefore a prerequisite for the improvement of the informal seed system in both districts.
Wheat is the leading global food crop providing 19% of the daily calories and 21% of protein requ... more Wheat is the leading global food crop providing 19% of the daily calories and 21% of protein requirements for humans. The wheat production has increased from 220 million tons in 1961 to 750 million tons in 2018 with total production area of 220 million hectares which showed insignificant changes across years. The development of high yielding and widely adapted semi-dwarf input responsive wheat varieties, application of fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation, mechanization and implementation of favorable policies have contributed to such significant jump in wheat production at global level. The average annual genetic gain of wheat has been reported to be 1% while the demand for wheat increases by 1.7% annually reaching a total of 1 billion tons in 2050. To this end, conventional and molecular breeding strategies and approaches such as inter-country shuttle breeding, doubled haploid breeding, speed breeding, marker assisted selection, genomic selection, key location phenotyping and hybrid wheat breeding should be utilized intensively. The international wheat breeding programs at CIMMYT and ICARDA have developed and distributed germplasm to the world in the past 4 or more decades during which hundreds of high yielding and widely adapted wheat varieties with resistance tolerance to the major prevailing abiotic and biotic stresses have been released and adopted. Breeding progress or genetic gains in wheat has been determined by different authors with average relative gains reaching up to 2.5% per year. This paper reviews the global challenges facing demand and supply of wheat, the strategies to increase breeding efficiency and genetic gains, the impacts of the international wheat breeding and its progress, and future strategies to increase wheat production while conserving the natural resource base.
trading (informal sector). In recent times the concept of seed system has been broadened to inclu... more trading (informal sector). In recent times the concept of seed system has been broadened to include the role of the 'informal' sector in seed provision. Van Amstel et al. (1996), apart from providing a comprehensive definition of the seed system, recognize two distinctive, but interacting seed delivery systems: the formal and the informal sectors. A farmer may have adopted a modern variety from the formal sector, but may decide to save seed from their own harvest or exchange through social networks for the next season's planting: seed that is produced informally (Bishaw, 2004). Formal seed system The formal seed system is composed of several interrelated components, namely: (i) variety development, evaluation, registration and release; (ii) seed production, processing and storage; (iii) seed marketing and distribution; and (iv) seed quality assurance. It is a highly interdependent chain of operations whose overall performance can be measured by the efficiency of the different linkages in the chain (Pray and Ramasawmi, 1991). In general it is a vertically organized (Louwaars, 2002), large-scale operation, mostly with commercial interests. Informal seed system At present, in developing countries, over 80 percent of crops are sown from seed stocks selected and saved by farmers or exchanged and traded locally (Almekinders, Louwaars and de Bruijin, 1994; Alemkinders and Louwaars, 1999). The informal seed system operates at local level (Cromwell, Friis-Hansen and Turner, 1992), and may depend on indigenous knowledge of plant and seed selection, sourcing, retention, management and local diffusion mechanisms (Bishaw, 2004). Apart from farmer or community practices it also includes various local
... Laverack (1994) defined variety maintenance as 'the per-petuation of a small... more ... Laverack (1994) defined variety maintenance as 'the per-petuation of a small stock of parental material through repeated multiplication following a precise procedure'. ... Page 453. 426 AJG van Gastel et al. Laverack and Turner, 1995). ...
Field establishment in Lentil is a key determinant in its production. To investigate the predicti... more Field establishment in Lentil is a key determinant in its production. To investigate the prediction of field emergence through various laboratory parameters, correlation studies between seed vigor tests and field emergence were carried out across two consecutive years in Sudan and in Syria. Correlation and path coefficient analyses were done to find the association of these seed vigor parameters and assess the direct and indirect contributions of each parameter towards field emergence. Correlations of speed of germination, seedling dry weight and electrical conductivity with field emergence in two types of soil were significant in Sudan. In Syria, no significant correlation was observed between vigor tests and field emergence. In Sudan, path analyses showed that seedling dry weight and 100-seed weight consistently reflected the highest positive direct contribution towards field emergence in the two types of soil whereas the highest negative direct effect was shown by seedling growth rate, followed by cold soil test. Path coefficient analyses indicated that seedling dry weight (6.443, 5.778) and hundred seed weight (5.267, 3.973) had a positive direct contribution towards lentil field emergence in both types of soil.Likewise, in Syria the highest positive direct contribution was exhibited by seedling growth rate, followed by speed of germination and standard germination towards field emergence. 100-seed weight, seedling dry weight and cold soil consistently reflected the highest positive indirect contributions via seedling growth rate towards field emergence. This study concluded that seedling dry weight, seedling growth rate and speed of germination could make the most accurate prediction of field emergence.
International journal of agricultural science and food technology, Jan 18, 2021
The production and productivity of fi eld pea crop in Amhara region depends mainly on the un avai... more The production and productivity of fi eld pea crop in Amhara region depends mainly on the un availability of quality seed supply system for a number of improved varieties. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the quality and seed management practices of fi eld pea seeds from the informal and formal seed systems in Enarj Enawuga and Yilmana Densa Districts during 2016/17 cropping season. Seed samples of two fi eld pea varieties were collected from both formal and informal sectors and tested for quality in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications. The quality of seed samples had signifi cant difference for physical purity, germination and vigor indices among seed samples. Except for other crop seeds, all the seed samples from informal seed sector maintained the physical /analytical/ purity of seed quality components (above the standards). Most of the seed samples except four samples (seed samples collected from farmer two and twelve of Enarj Enawuga districts who grow Tegegnech variety (F2 and F12), farmer 18 and 22 of Yilmana Densa districts who grow Tegegnech variety (F18 and F22) had registered germination capacity above the standards (75%). The speed of germination was better to predict fi eld emergence of the seed lot than the standard germination. Seedborne fungi such as Ascochyta pinodes, Ascochyta pisi, Fusarium sp, Phoma sp, Septoria pisi, Colletotrichum sp were found associated with the fi eld pea seed. Among those fungi Ascochyta pinodes was the dominant. Most farmer seed management practices enable to maintain and improve their fi eld pea seed quality in both districts. Extension should play a crucial role in training farmers in on-farm quality seeds of the fi eld pea crop production and is therefore a prerequisite for the improvement of the informal seed system in both districts.
Wheat is the leading global food crop providing 19% of the daily calories and 21% of protein requ... more Wheat is the leading global food crop providing 19% of the daily calories and 21% of protein requirements for humans. The wheat production has increased from 220 million tons in 1961 to 750 million tons in 2018 with total production area of 220 million hectares which showed insignificant changes across years. The development of high yielding and widely adapted semi-dwarf input responsive wheat varieties, application of fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation, mechanization and implementation of favorable policies have contributed to such significant jump in wheat production at global level. The average annual genetic gain of wheat has been reported to be 1% while the demand for wheat increases by 1.7% annually reaching a total of 1 billion tons in 2050. To this end, conventional and molecular breeding strategies and approaches such as inter-country shuttle breeding, doubled haploid breeding, speed breeding, marker assisted selection, genomic selection, key location phenotyping and hybrid wheat breeding should be utilized intensively. The international wheat breeding programs at CIMMYT and ICARDA have developed and distributed germplasm to the world in the past 4 or more decades during which hundreds of high yielding and widely adapted wheat varieties with resistance tolerance to the major prevailing abiotic and biotic stresses have been released and adopted. Breeding progress or genetic gains in wheat has been determined by different authors with average relative gains reaching up to 2.5% per year. This paper reviews the global challenges facing demand and supply of wheat, the strategies to increase breeding efficiency and genetic gains, the impacts of the international wheat breeding and its progress, and future strategies to increase wheat production while conserving the natural resource base.
trading (informal sector). In recent times the concept of seed system has been broadened to inclu... more trading (informal sector). In recent times the concept of seed system has been broadened to include the role of the 'informal' sector in seed provision. Van Amstel et al. (1996), apart from providing a comprehensive definition of the seed system, recognize two distinctive, but interacting seed delivery systems: the formal and the informal sectors. A farmer may have adopted a modern variety from the formal sector, but may decide to save seed from their own harvest or exchange through social networks for the next season's planting: seed that is produced informally (Bishaw, 2004). Formal seed system The formal seed system is composed of several interrelated components, namely: (i) variety development, evaluation, registration and release; (ii) seed production, processing and storage; (iii) seed marketing and distribution; and (iv) seed quality assurance. It is a highly interdependent chain of operations whose overall performance can be measured by the efficiency of the different linkages in the chain (Pray and Ramasawmi, 1991). In general it is a vertically organized (Louwaars, 2002), large-scale operation, mostly with commercial interests. Informal seed system At present, in developing countries, over 80 percent of crops are sown from seed stocks selected and saved by farmers or exchanged and traded locally (Almekinders, Louwaars and de Bruijin, 1994; Alemkinders and Louwaars, 1999). The informal seed system operates at local level (Cromwell, Friis-Hansen and Turner, 1992), and may depend on indigenous knowledge of plant and seed selection, sourcing, retention, management and local diffusion mechanisms (Bishaw, 2004). Apart from farmer or community practices it also includes various local
... Laverack (1994) defined variety maintenance as 'the per-petuation of a small... more ... Laverack (1994) defined variety maintenance as 'the per-petuation of a small stock of parental material through repeated multiplication following a precise procedure'. ... Page 453. 426 AJG van Gastel et al. Laverack and Turner, 1995). ...
Field establishment in Lentil is a key determinant in its production. To investigate the predicti... more Field establishment in Lentil is a key determinant in its production. To investigate the prediction of field emergence through various laboratory parameters, correlation studies between seed vigor tests and field emergence were carried out across two consecutive years in Sudan and in Syria. Correlation and path coefficient analyses were done to find the association of these seed vigor parameters and assess the direct and indirect contributions of each parameter towards field emergence. Correlations of speed of germination, seedling dry weight and electrical conductivity with field emergence in two types of soil were significant in Sudan. In Syria, no significant correlation was observed between vigor tests and field emergence. In Sudan, path analyses showed that seedling dry weight and 100-seed weight consistently reflected the highest positive direct contribution towards field emergence in the two types of soil whereas the highest negative direct effect was shown by seedling growth rate, followed by cold soil test. Path coefficient analyses indicated that seedling dry weight (6.443, 5.778) and hundred seed weight (5.267, 3.973) had a positive direct contribution towards lentil field emergence in both types of soil.Likewise, in Syria the highest positive direct contribution was exhibited by seedling growth rate, followed by speed of germination and standard germination towards field emergence. 100-seed weight, seedling dry weight and cold soil consistently reflected the highest positive indirect contributions via seedling growth rate towards field emergence. This study concluded that seedling dry weight, seedling growth rate and speed of germination could make the most accurate prediction of field emergence.
Mainstreaming Efficient Legume Seed Systems in Eastern Africa, 2018
This technical paper begins with an introduction to
grain legumes and their importance in Easter... more This technical paper begins with an introduction to grain legumes and their importance in Eastern Africa, followed by trends in production and productivity, variety development, release and promotion. It proposes and describes 12 basic principles necessary to mainstream legume seed systems (and thereby legume production and utilization) in crop development programmes for sustainable agricultural intensification in Eastern Africa. These principles include a closer look at the legume seed theory of change, taking note of how the various players help move activities of stakeholders through outputs, outcomes and impacts and how they interact through spheres of action, influence and interest; innovative approaches for early-generation seed (EGS) supply; a connection between EGS and commercial class seed; strong policy environment; strong institutional framework; multistakeholder involvement; linkage to utilization and markets; and the role of legumes in empowering women and youth. This technical paper focuses on the Eastern Africa subregion, particularly on Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somali, South Sudan and Uganda. Examples and cross-references are provided from other parts of Africa and beyond for cross-learning and experience sharing. The development of the technical paper was a highly collaborative effort among technical experts at the FAO Subregional Office for Eastern Africa, CIAT, ICRISAT, ICARDA and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. The technical review of the paper was undertaken by a Seed Security Expert of the Seeds and Genetic Resources Team (AGPMG) at FAO Rome
This book documents ICARDA’s experience in rapid deployment of rust-resistant wheat varieties thr... more This book documents ICARDA’s experience in rapid deployment of rust-resistant wheat varieties through bilateral and multilateral projects in general and the ICARDA-EIAR project entitled Deployment of rust-resistant varieties for ensuring food security in Ethiopia in particular highlighting the framework of fast track variety testing and release and accelerated seed production to mitigate and/or control wheat rusts. Chapter 1 presents ICARDA’s overall experience working with NARS in Egypt, Ethiopia and Pakistan. Chapters 2 to 7 considered the status of wheat rusts and the achievements and lessons learned in fast track variety release, accelerated seed multiplication, promotion of rust-resistant wheat varieties, awareness creation among stakeholders, training of farmers and development agents, and capacity building in terms of rust disease early warning system, and value chain development by enhancing linkage between smallholder farmers and agro-industries in Ethiopia. Chapter 2 highlights the historical and status of wheat rusts and the management options available to farmers. Chapter 3 presents, the development of rust-resistant wheat varieties and release including pre-release seed multiplication and variety maintenance at federal and regional agricultural research centers. Chapter 4 summarizes the early generation seed (breeder, pre-basic and basic) multiplication by NARS and large-scale certified seed production partnering with public seed enterprises and farmer seed producer’s associations. Chapter 5 elaborates on demonstration, popularization, on-farm seed production and capacity strengthening of stakeholders. Chapter 6 elucidates the past attempts and the project efforts in linking smallholder farmers to the durum value chain. In Chapter 7 the impact of the project in terms of wheat productivity, production, household food security, and the institutional innovations in variety releases, seed multiplication and delivery systems are presented. Chapter 8 presents the achievements and lessons learned on critical research, development and policy implications both at global/regional and national levels.
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Papers by Zewdie B Bishaw
grain legumes and their importance in Eastern Africa,
followed by trends in production and productivity,
variety development, release and promotion.
It proposes and describes 12 basic principles
necessary to mainstream legume seed systems (and
thereby legume production and utilization) in crop
development programmes for sustainable agricultural
intensification in Eastern Africa. These principles
include a closer look at the legume seed theory of
change, taking note of how the various players help
move activities of stakeholders through outputs,
outcomes and impacts and how they interact through
spheres of action, influence and interest; innovative
approaches for early-generation seed (EGS) supply;
a connection between EGS and commercial class
seed; strong policy environment; strong institutional
framework; multistakeholder involvement; linkage to
utilization and markets; and the role of legumes in
empowering women and youth.
This technical paper focuses on the Eastern Africa
subregion, particularly on Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Rwanda, Somali, South Sudan and Uganda.
Examples and cross-references are provided from
other parts of Africa and beyond for cross-learning
and experience sharing. The development of the
technical paper was a highly collaborative effort
among technical experts at the FAO Subregional Office
for Eastern Africa, CIAT, ICRISAT, ICARDA and Jomo
Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
The technical review of the paper was undertaken
by a Seed Security Expert of the Seeds and Genetic
Resources Team (AGPMG) at FAO Rome