Article Sidebar
Article Details
The Momona Ethiopian Journal of Science accepts the manuscripts for consideration with the understanding that the manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Only original articles will be considered for publication if they have been published previously as abstracts, but not if they have been published previously as extended abstract (>1000 words). This applies to both electronic and print versions of the journal. The authors should assign copyright ownership to the Editorial Office of MEJS in the event that the manuscript is accepted for publication in the Momona Ethiopian Journal of Science. All accepted manuscripts must be accompanied by a copyright statement signed by all authors. A copy of the copyright form will be supplied along with the final reviewed version of the manuscript that is sent for final proof- reading. Authors may make multiple copies of the form if necessary and send to the Editorial Office with author’s signature(s) even individually.
All articles published by Momona Ethiopian Journal of Science (MEJS) are Open Access under the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Under this license, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their content, and anyone can copy, distribute, or reuse articles as long as the author and original source are properly cited. In all these cases for re-use, the authors will be given proper credit to the original publication in MEJS.
Main Article Content
Effect of <i>Eucalyptus camaldulensis</i> stand Conversion into Crop Production on Growth and Yield of Maize: the case of Koga Watershed Areas in northwestern Ethiopia
Abstract
Farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia commonly plant eucalypts on their farmlands. However, growing eucalypt is becoming a great concern due to its alleged long-term site effect. In view of this, a study was conducted in Koga watershed, northwestern Ethiopia, to investigate whether croplands afforested with Eucalyptus camaldulensis can be reused for annual crop production after its removal. In this study, we compared growth and yield of maize between adjacent clear-felled E. camaldulensis stands and continuously cultivated farms at three paired sites. Plant height, leaf area, dry matter production and grain weight were evaluated as parameters for maize growth and yield. Maize plants grown on clear-felled eucalypt stands were taller and developed larger leaf areas than those grown on continuously cultivated farms. Dry matter production and grain yield were also significantly higher in maize plants established on clear-felled eucalypt stands. Farmers also responded that the growth and yield of maize grown on the clear-felled eucalypt stands were better than those grown on continuously cultivated farms. The results suggest that contrary to the popular belief, agricultural lands afforested with eucalypts can be re-used for annual crop production.
Keywords: Clear-felled stands, Croplands, Crop performance, Farmers’ perception, Ethiopia.
