Illnesses associated with consuming infected milk and milk products are a widespread problem inlow and middle-income countries. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a bacteriumcommonly found in raw milk and causes foodborne diseases ranging from mild diarrhea to severehemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the viru-lence gene and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains isolatedfrom raw milk in dairy farms in and around Bahir Dar town. Raw milk samples (n = 128)collected from December 2021 to July 2022 were cultured, and E. coli strains were isolated usingstandard methods. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains were identified genotypically by thepresence of the virulence markers using a single-plex polymerase chain reaction. The antibioticsusceptibility testing of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolates was done by the agar disk diffusionmethod. In total, 32 E. coli isolates were recovered from milk samples from lactating animals. PCRscreening of these isolates resulted in 19 (59.3%) positives for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Thestx2 gene was detected in 53% of cases, followed by stx1 (31%) and eae (16%. The STEC isolateswere highly sensitive to ciprofloxacin (94.7%) and kanamycin (89.5%), while exhibiting signif-icant resistance to amoxicillin (89.5%) and streptomycin (73.7%). The present study points outthe occurrence of virulent and antibiotic-resistant Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains in raw milkthat could pose a potential risk to public health. Further analysis by whole genome sequencing isnecessary for an in-depth assessment and understanding of their virulence and resistance factors.Moreover, large-scale studies are needed to identify the prevalence and potential risk factors andto prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant STEC strains in the milk production chain.

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is the most important commercial vegetable crop widely grown throughout the world. It is also animportant bulb crop in Ethiopia. However, its production and productivity are restricted by diferent factors, including biotic andabiotic stresses. Tis review investigates the potential impacts of spacing and varieties on onion yield and yield components inEthiopia. Countries around the world are producing onion for its nutritional value, medicinal properties, minerals, proteins, andcarbohydrates. In terms of production, onion ranks second only after tomatoes. Te average onion yield in Ethiopia is estimated tobe 8.8 tons/ha, while in the world, it is approximately 19.7 tons/ha. Inappropriate spacing and inadequate onion varieties are someof the limitations widely described for yield variation in Ethiopia. Tus, to control the size, shape, and yield of onion bulbs, spacingdetermination and variety improvement are some of the techniques currently employed in Ethiopia. Adama red, Bombay red, andred creole are some of the known varieties in the country, and the intrarow spacings for Adama red and Bombay red are reported tobe 4 cm and 6 cm, respectively. Diferent spacing between onion plants afects how much they produce and other factors such assize and quality, depending on the variety. It is important to assess whether changing spacing makes sense from both a farmingand economic standpoint, alongside considering other agricultural methods.

Abstract: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are the leading cause of infectious diarrhea and posea significant global, regional, and national burden of disease. This study aimed to investigate theprevalence of six DEC pathotypes in children with diarrhea and determine their antibiotic resistancepatterns. Samples from 107 diarrheagenic children were collected and processed for Escherichiacoli (E. coli). Single-plex PCR was used to detect target virulence genes as well as characterize andcategorize DEC pathotypes. Antibiotic resistance patterns were determined by the Kirby–Bauerdisk diffusion method. E. coli was detected in 79 diarrheal stool samples, accounting for 73.8% ofthe samples collected. Additionally, 49.4% (39 out of 79) of the isolates harbored various typicalvirulence factors. Results revealed six pathotypes of virulence: enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) (53.8%),enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) (12.8%), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) (10.3%), Heteropathotypes(7.8%), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) (7.7% each).The isolates exhibited high antibiotic resistance against trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (82.1%),amoxicillin (79.5%), ampicillin (74.4%), gentamicin (69.2%), and streptomycin (64.1%). An overalloccurrence of 84.6% of multiple-drug resistance was observed in the isolates, with resistance rangingfrom three to four antibiotic classes. Our findings revealed a high level of pathogenic E. coli that werehighly resistant to multiple categories of antibiotics among children in the Awi zone. These findingshighlight the potential role of pathogenic E. coli in childhood diarrhea in tropical low-resourcesettings and underscore the need for continued research on the characteristics of pathogenic andantibiotic-resistant strains.Keywords: children; diarrheagenic Escherichia coli; resistance; virulent genes; Awi zone

In the absence of a recommended optimal seed rate and nitrogen-phosphorous (NP) fertilizers application for a spe-cific area, achieving maximum bread wheat productivity becomes challenging. To address this issue, this field experi-ment was conducted to evaluate the effect of seed and NP fertilizer rates on growth, yield, and yield components ofbread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Factorial combinations of four levels of seed rates of bread wheat (100, 120, 150, and200 kg ha−1 ) and four levels of NP fertilizers rates (64–46, 87–46, 96–69, and 119–69 kg ha−1 of N and P 2 O 5 ) werelaid down in randomized complete block design with three replications. The remaining necessary agronomic practicesand crop management activities were undertaken uniformly. The data presented in this dataset article includes pheno-logical, growth, yield, and yield component parameters that were collected timely following their standard methods andprocedures. All the collected data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) which was carried out using theSAS version 9.0 software computer program’s General Linear Model (GLM) procedure [1]. the residuals were evalu-ated, as described in Montgomery [2], to confirm the normal distribution and homogeneous variance model assump-tions on the error terms for each response variable. The independence assumption is upheld due to the randomization ofthe sixteen (16) treatment combinations within each block. In cases where a treatment effect was found to be significant,a multiple means comparison was conducted at a 5% significance level using Fisher’s LSD method to create letter group-ings. Additionally, correlation analysis was carried out using the Pearson correlation procedure in SAS. This dataset articleprovides insights into how seed rate and NP fertilizer rates impact bread wheat productivity, as well as the economic viability of optimal seed rate and NP fertilizer rates on bread wheat productivity. The information presented can serve as a valuable resource for researchers looking to examine thesupplementary data and methods in detail, potentially lead ing to new research avenues. Furthermore, it has the potential to foster collaborations and enhance the credibility of the current research data within the scientific community, making it accessible for wider use.
Keywords: Bread wheat, Burie district, Dataset, Grain yield, Seed rate, NP fertilizers, Partial budget analysis

Background and Purpose: Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen responsible for causing various human and animalinfections and is well known for its ability to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence ofmethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in bulk milk and dairy farms in northwestern Ethiopia and to determine theirphenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.Methods: We collected 50 bulk milk samples from 50 dairy farms and 50 hand swabs from dairy milkers. The cefoxitin disk diffusiontest and PCR-based assays were used to identify MRSA isolates. In addition, cefoxitin-resistant isolates were tested for susceptibilityto other antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.Results: The results showed that MRSA was detected in 8 samples: 6 from bulk milk samples (12%) and 2 from hand swabs (4%). AllMRSA isolates exhibited a high resistance rate to penicillin (100%), followed by tetracycline (75%), ciprofloxacin (25%), chloram-phenicol (25%), erythromycin (25%), gentamycin (12.5%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (12.5%). Moreover, 72% of theisolates showed resistance to three or more antibiotic classes and were classified as multidrug-resistant.Conclusion: This study identified methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant MRSA in bulk milk and dairyfarms in northwestern Ethiopia. These findings highlight the potential risk of transmission of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria tohumans and the need for improved antibiotic stewardship in the dairy sector using the One Health approach.Keywords: dairy farms, Ethiopia, humans, MRSA, bulk milk, resistance

This research aimed at evaluation of a given land resource suitable for selected rain fed crops production (maltbarley, wheat and teff ) in Ambesh watershed. It also quantified suitable land and classified into the land mappingunits (LMUs), and presents a land suitability map. Land suitability assessment (LSA) made using climatic condition,topography, soil physical and chemical properties as a major factor integrated with a multi criteria decision making(MCDM) analysis in Ambesh watershed. Fourteen composite soil samples were taken by categorizing the water-shed into different land mapping units (LMUs) and analyzed in a soil laboratory. Climatic data, rainfall was obtainedfrom two meteorological stations nearby to the study area. Temperature data derived from Landsat 8 satellite ther-mal bands data. Data obtained from the soil laboratory and others were finally analyzed using ArcGIS environmentand priority estimation tool (PriEsT) software’s. Weighted Sum Overlay was implemented to investigate the final LSAmap of the watershed. Results revealed that LMUs, VRe–LPq and LPK.Pq–FLc LMUs has higher overall suitability for allthe selected rain fed crops. However, LMUs (VRe–NTu and NTu–VRe) has lower overall suitability values particularlyfor S1 suitability class (0.05% and 10.6%, respectively). The least suitable LMU is VRe–NTu with 0.05% S 1 suitability classand above 99% of the land laid under the suitability classes of moderately suitable, marginally suitable and not suit-able for the selected land utilization types. Moreover, about 219.06 ha (17.76%), 217.6 ha (17.64%), 168.9 ha (13.7%),of land are highly suitable for malt barley, teff and wheat crop production, respectively. In conclusion, during MCDM,classifying the land into closer homogeneities (LMU) an important application of LSA integrated with remote sens-ing and GIS for a better decision making. Meanwhile, majority (above two third’s) of the land in the watershedis under moderate and marginally suitable, it needs intensive land management activities to increase the land quali-ties and obtain high yields. LSA recommended before land utilization decision has to be made. It is also importantto classifying the land into LMUs to make it more homogeneous for sample taking and reducing the prestigious soillaboratory analysis costs.Keywords LMUs, Land suitability assessment, Malt Barley, RS, Teff, Weighted sum, Wheat