Vol. 12(1), pp. 1-16, March 2024
https://doi.org/10.14662/arjasr2024015
Copyright 2024
Author(s) retain the copyright of this article
ISSN: 2360-7874
http://www.academicresearchjournals.org/ARJASR/Index.htm
 

Research paper

Tropical Fruit Nurseries and Propagation Activities in Ethiopia: Developments and Challenges

 

Lemma Ayele1,2*,Derbew Belew1, Wegayehu Asefa2, Edossa Etissa2, Girma Kebede2, Kidest Firde3, Tiruaynet Mekuriyaw4and Mikias Damtew2

 

1Jimma University, P.O. Box 307, Jimma, Ethiopia; 2Melkassa Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 436, Adama, Ethiopia; 3Holleta Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 6282, Holleta, Ethiopia; 4Debire Zeyit Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 32, Bishoftu, Ethiopia. *Corresponding author’s e-mail: lemmaayeleb@gmail.com

 

Accepted 22 February 2024

Abstract

Fruit nurseries in Ethiopia were clustered into three categories namely public, micro-enterprise, and advanced. Number of seedlings in public nurseries was 61,797.3 while avocado and mango were propagated at a larger proportion. Micro-enterprise private nurseries had been producing 1,500 to 30,000 seedlings yearly with average of 13,665 seedlings. Major constraints and challenges identified in public and micro-enterprise private nurseries includedlack of shade net and mother stock for sourcing scion, poor seed quality for rootstock, technical gaps, and pests and diseases. Shade structures constructed from local materials such as bamboo and dried vegetation were commonly used, except few which were supplemented with a modest net-house. About 50,000 mango and citrus seedlings were being multiplied in a greenhouse nursery at Upper Awash Agro-industry Enterprise. The Israel's Agency for International Development supported nurseries had produced 368,186 grafted avocado seedlings in three consecutive years since 2016, to strengthen export of avocado fruits for international market. Advanced nurseries are characterized by having better capacity and facilities that enable them to produce large number of seedlings, as compared to the other two nursery types. Therefore, stakeholders have significant role to support nurseries and address challenges to achieve producing seedlings with required standards.

 

Key words: Constraints, facility, fruit seedlings, nursery, propagation.

 

How to cite this article (APA Style): Ayele, L., Belew, D., Asefa, W., Etissa, E., Kebede, G., Firde, K., Tiruaynet T., Damtew, M.(2024). Tropical Fruit Nurseries and Propagation Activities in Ethiopia: Developments and Challenges. Acad. Res. J. Agri. Sci. Res. 12(1): 1-16