Journal of Eco-friendly Agriculture

A field survey was carried out for vegetables in three sub-zobas of zoba Anseba, Eritrea. The farmers were interviewed with the objectives of the types of cultivation and management practices, diseases and pests attacking the vegetable crops and the education level of farmers and understanding management practices. In sub-zoba Hagaz, about 62.50 per cent farmers were using the locally available seed and 37.50 per cent used seed stored from previous crop. In Adi-Tekeliezan only 34.88 per cent used their own seed, whereas 65.51 per cent of farmers buy from market, which could be a reason for low disease severity and infestations. In Hamelmalo, 64.51 per cent and 61.29 per cent of growers used the seed from their previous crops and purchased from market, respectively. Potato varieties Ageba, Sudan White, Red and Yemani; tomato variety Sumberson and okra variety Bloctihona were the major seed sources used by most of the farmers. About 51.72 per cent of farmers use irrigation in Adi-Tekeliezan and the rest of 49.27 per cent depend on rainfed cultivation. Farmers invariably do hand weeding and on an average three weedings are done in a cropping season, whereas in Wazantet and Zeron it was for 5–6 times. In sub-zoba Hamelmalo, many farmers (19.35%), sun-dry their seeds before growing seedlings. The application of cow dung ash or pure wood ash on the seed is also practiced by 58.06, 89.65 and 81.25 per cent of the farmers in sub-zobas Hamelmalo, Adi-Tekeliezan and Hagaz, respectively. Tuta absoluta, african boll worm, whitefly, Helicoverpa and aphids are major pests on tomato, cucumber, cabbage and chillies; Jassids, potato tuber moths and whitefly were of potato; thrips of onion; aphids and whitefly of okra, chilies, egg plant and pepper in all the three zobas. Alternaria blights reported on potato, tomato, okra and chilies from all the three sub zobas; powdery mildews in chilies and okra noticed from medium to high intensity; viral disease mosaic in cucumber and okra; dieback diseases observed on onion in the fields of Hagaz. Though, some educated farmers use few pesticides, others do not have proper education and awareness for the use of the chemicals.