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Understanding wood cell wall pore geometry and distribution is the basis for studying its macroscopic properties. This research investigated the pore fractal dimension using the pore size distribution of selected softwoods and hardwoods. Nitrogen gas analyzer was used to study the detailed structural parameters of wood pore size distributions and use as a raw data to assess their fractal dimension. The results revealed significant variability in pore size distribution, porosity, pore volume, specific surface area, and fractal dimension. The cell wall pore size distribution ranged from 1.41 (minimum) to 442 nm (maximum). Western red cedar heartwood and sapwood show a higher and lower number of micropores, respectively, in the wood cell wall. The results also showed that the fractal dimensions of the cell wall pore spaces of wood vary between 2.92 and 2.97. There was no significant difference in fractal dimensions between wood types and species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding wood pore geometry and distribution is the basis for studying its macroscopic properties. This research investigated the pore fractal dimension using the pore size distribution of selected softwoods and hardwoods. Mercury intrusion porosimetry explored the detailed structural parameters of wood pore size distributions and assessed their fractal dimension. The results revealed significant variability in pore size distribution, porosity, pore volume, and fractal dimension values. The threshold pressure extracted from porosimetry data can be used as the main parameter to distinguish the pore size distribution regions. Pore sizes ranged from 3 to 35,000 nm, with a corresponding porosity that ranged from 58 to 76%. Three pore size classes were determined and ranged as: macropores (radius 350,000–5000 nm), mesopores (radius 5000–100 nm), and micropores (radius 100–3 nm). The fractal dimension values in the corresponding macropore, mesopore, and micropore size intervals were 2.98–2.998, 2.6–2.92, and 2.53–2.72, respectively, indicating a higher degree of complexity for larger pores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants are good sources of various bioactive substances and have significant importance for the discovery of new drugs. In this study, Croton macrostachyus plant roots from six different sites in the Central Gondar Zone, Ethiopia, were collected; and their phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as antioxidant and antibacterial activities were investigated. Total phenolics and flavonoid contents of the root extracts were determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. The antioxidant activity was determined by the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging method. Moreover, the antibacterial activities were evaluated by disk diffusion method. Results revealed that total polyphenols and flavonoid contents were in the range of 802 ± 53–1557 ± 75 mg GAE/100 g and 342 ± 26–745 ± 32 mg CE/100 g, respectively. Root extracts of C. macrostachyus were found to have higher antioxidant activities ranging from 3.53 ± 0.38 to 6.38 ± 0.62 mg AAE/g sample. They also showed inhibition zones of 5.8, 6.2, 5.9 and 6.0 mm for Staphylococcus aurous, Staphylococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, and had equivalent potency with the reference Gentamicin antibiotic. Pearson correlation result indicated a strong relationship between total polyphenol contents and their respective antioxidant activities. This study articulates that the root extracts accumulated a substantial quantity of polyphenols and bears a considerable antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta-analysis of 84 published reports on goats was conducted to calculate weighted and unweighted average direct heritability (h a 2 ), maternal genetic effect (h m 2 ), common environmental effect (c 2 ), repeatability (R), genetic (r g ) and phenotypic (r p ) correlations for growth, reproduction and milk production traits. Weighted average h a 2 , h m 2 , and c 2 for growth traits ranged from 0.03 to 0.45, 0.05 to 0.27, and 0.02 to 0.10, respectively. Weighted average h a 2 for reproduction and milk production traits ranged from 0.00 to 0.17 and 0.15 to 0.22, respectively. Weighted R for the growth, reproduction, and milk production traits ranged from 0.06 to 0.56, 0.06 to 0.13, and 0.50 to 0.61, respectively. Weighted averages of r p and rg among growth traits ranged from −0.06 to 0.84 and 0.01 to 0.98, respectively. Weighted average r p among milk production traits ranged from 0.18 to 0.94. In most cases average h a 2 and r g had higher observed standard deviations compared to the theoretical standard error. The present finding revealed that weighted average h a 2 , h m 2 , c 2 , R, and r g are more reliable for two reasons: estimates of h a 2 for some growth traits were more conservative than values from relatively higher number of records and the absence of significant effects of the tested fixed factors on some parameter estimates. However, studies on genetic parameter estimations are required for growth, reproduction, and milk traits in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence polymorphism of six morphologically diverse domestic donkey (Equus asinus) populations in Ethiopia. These populations include: Abyssinian (AB), Afar (AF), Hararghe (HR), Ogaden (OG), Omo (OM) and Sinnar (SI). Genetic relationships and other diversity parameters were inferred from 39 randomly selected mtDNA D-loop partial sequences, characterized by 29 polymorphic sites defining 19 distinct haplotypes. Moreover, haplotype and nucleotide diversity in Ethiopian donkey populations were 0.903±0.032 and 0.020±0.003, respectively. A network analysis produced moderate star-like patterns suggesting past population demographic and spatial expansion. Population subdivision estimates demonstrated that Sinnar donkeys were considerably divergent from the other donkey populations. To trace the matrilineal genetic origin of Ethiopian donkeys, we retrieved 221 previously published domestic donkeys' mtDNA D-loop sequences from the GenBank (146 from Chinese and 75 from worldwide domestic donkeys). The haplogroup derived from the Ethiopian sources formed the center of the network from which most of the worldwide domestic donkey populations emerged. This suggests that Ethiopia could be one of the centers of diversities for domestic donkeys in the Horn of Africa. The present study also overrides some previous reports that claimed donkeys were solely an Egyptian domesticate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern part of Ethiopia is endowed with local and exotic breeds of chicken; however, their morphometric characterization needs to be done to support future improvements and conservation. Hence, the study was conducted in three agro-ecologies (lowland, midland, and highland) of Northern Ethiopia to assess the morphometric traits of local and exotic (Naked-neck) chicken genotypes. The experiment was designed as 4×2 factorial with Chicken genotype (4 levels: local from each of lowland, midland and highland, and exotic from lowland) and Sex (2 levels: female and male) being the factors. ANOVA was conducted to determine the main and interaction effects of these factors on 21 morphometric traits. The results revealed significant interaction of Chicken genotype and Sex on all morphometric traits other than skull length, skull width, skull index and neck length highlighting the presence of vast sex specific differences among the genotypes. Apart from comb, earlobe and beak indices and wattle width, male Naked-neck (from lowland) have significantly higher values than the other seven combinations. The morphometric variations of chicken genotypes unveiled in this study are good indicators of genetic diversity of chicken population in Northern Ethiopia and calls for designing community based genetic improvement program to maximize desirable traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study, to identify genomic signatures of divergent selection, we genotyped 10 cattle breeds/populations (n = 275), representing eight Ethiopian cattle populations (n = 229) and two zebu populations (n = 46) adapted to tropical and sub‐tropical environments, using the high‐density single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived mainly from Bos indicus breeds, and using five reference taurine breeds (n = 212). Population genetic differentiation (FST) values across sliding windows were estimated between zebu and reference combined taurine breeds. The most differentiated regions (FST ≥ 0.53), representing the top 1% smoothed FST values, were considered to represent regions under diversifying selection. In total, 285 and 317 genes were identified in the comparisons of Ethiopian cattle with taurine and Asian zebu with taurine respectively. Some of these genes are involved in stress responses/thermo‐tolerance and DNA damage repair (HSPA4, HSF1, CMPK1 and EIF2AK4), pigmentation (ERBB3 and MYO1A), reproduction/fertility (UBE2D3, ID3 and PSPC1), immune response (PIK3CD and AKIRIN2) and body stature and size (MBP2, LYN and NPM1). Additionally, the candidate genes were associated with functional terms (e.g. cellular response to stress, DNA repair, inflammatory response) important for physiological adaptation to environmental stresses. The results of our study may shed light on the influence of artificial and natural selection in shaping the genomic diversity of modern cattle breeds and also may serve as a basis for further genetic investigation of traits of tropical adaptation in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is one of the highly contagious avian pathogens that threatens poultry producers in endemic zones due to its epidemic potential. Selection for antibody (Ab) response can effectively improve disease resistance in chickens. However, the molecular basis of the variation in Ab response to NDV is unclear. This study aimed to detect genomic markers and genes modulating Ab response to NDV in chickens reared under tropical, outdoor conditions. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on Sasso T451A chickens that were naturally exposed to infectious diseases from 56 to 112 days of age to identify regions associated with Ab response to NDV. Phenotypic immune data from 935 chickens, monitored in two batches, and genotyping data of these chickens based low-pass sequencing (2,676,181 single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) were used. BioMart data mining and variant effect predictor tools were used to annotate SNPs and candidate genes, respectively. A total of five SNPs (rs316795557 (FOXP2), chr 1; rs313761644 (CEP170B), chr 5; rs733628728, chr 13; and two unnamed SNPs, chr 30 and chr 33) were associated with the chicken antibody response to NDV at the suggestive significance level. These SNPs are located on chromosomes 1, 5, and 13 and are in genomic regions that contain several genes with roles in the regulation of the immune response. The results of this study pave the path for more investigation into the host immune response of chickens to NDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectra, supplemented by powder x-ray diffraction and magnetization data of isovalently A- and fi-site substituted BiFeO3 in the Bi1-x LaxFeO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ l), Bi0.9Sm0.1Fe1-xMnx(O3 0≤; x ≤ 0.2),and Bio.9Smo.1Fe1-xMnx03 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) series, are presented. A good agreement between the structural transitions observed by x-ray diffraction and the vibrational modes observed in the Raman spectra is found over the whole substitutional ranges, and in particular we find spectroscopic signatures of a PbZr03-type structure for Bi0.8La0.2Fe03. Mode assignments in the substituted materials are made based on Raman spectra of the end-members BiFe03 and LaFe03. Moreover, by comparing spectra from all samples with R3c structure, the phonon assignment in BiFe03 is revisited. A close connection between the degree of octahedral tilt and the Raman shift of the A1 oxygen a-a-a- tilt mode is established. An explanation for the strong second-order scattering observed in Bi1-xLaxFe03 and Bi1-xTbxFe03 is suggested, including the assignment of the previously mysterious BiFe03 mode at 620 cm-1. Finally, the magnetization data indicates a transition from a cycloidal modulated state towards a canted antiferromagnet with increasing A-site substitution, while Bi0.9Sm0.1Fe1-xMnx03 with x=0 and 0.15 exhibit an anomalous closing of the hysteresis loop at low temperatures. For low A-site substitution levels {x ≤ 0.1) the decreasing Raman intensity of the Fe derived modes correlates with the partial destruction of the spin cycloid as the substitution level increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock production systems of the developing world use indigenous breeds that locally adapted to specific agro-ecologies. Introducing commercial breeds usually results in lower productivity than expected, as a result of unfavourable genotype by environment interaction. It is difficult to predict of how these commercial breeds will perform in different conditions encountered in e.g. sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we present a novel methodology to model performance, by using growth data from different chicken breeds that were tested in Ethiopia. The suitability of these commercial breeds was tested by predicting the response of body weight as a function of the environment across Ethiopia. Phenotype distribution models were built using machine learning algorithms to make predictions of weight in the local environmental conditions based on the productivity for the breed. Based on the predicted body weight, breeds were assigned as being most suitable in a given agro-ecology or region. We identified the most important environmental variables that explained the variation in body weight across agro-ecologies for each of the breeds. Our results highlight the importance of acknowledging the role of environment in predicting productivity in scavenging chicken production systems. The use of phenotype distribution models in livestock breeding is recommended to develop breeds that will better fit in their intended production environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ethiopia is an ecologically diverse country; the low altitude regions are hot and humid whereas the high altitude regions are cooler. In this study we analyzed the transcriptome response of high altitude (Addis Ababa) and low altitude (Awash) chickens to heat stress conditions that are prevalent in the low altitude regions. The chickens were free ranged for 20 h in an enclosure in Awash, and then the heart, breast muscle and spleen tissues were collected at 6:00 am, 12:00 noon and 6:00 pm to follow a daily circadian cycle. Through RNA‐sequencing analysis, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were significant (q < 0.05). These DEGs were subjected to protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and gene co‐expression network (GCN) analyses to understand their role. KEGG pathway analysis and Gene Ontology analysis of all the identified DEGs and the genes identified from the PPI network and GCN analyses revealed that several immune‐related pathways, such as proteasome, focal adhesion, influenza A, the ErbB signaling pathway and glycerophospholipid metabolism, were enriched in response to heat stress. These results suggest that the high altitude chickens were under heat stress and might be immunologically susceptible. Our findings will help in developing a genetic approach to mitigate production loss due to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickens raised under village production systems are exposed to a wide variety of pathogens, and current or previous infections may affect their susceptibility to further infections with another parasite, and/or can alter the manifestation of each infection. It is possible that co-infections may be as important as environmental risk factors. However, in cross-sectional studies, where the timing of infection is unknown, apparent associations between infections may be observed due to parasites sharing common risk factors. This study measured antibody titres to 3 viral (Newcastle disease, Marek's disease and infectious bursal disease) and 2 bacterial ( Pasteurella multocida and Salmonella ) diseases, and the infection prevalence of 3 families of endo- and ecto-parasites ( Ascaridida , Eimeria and lice) in 1056 village chickens from two geographically distinct populations in Ethiopia. Samples were collected during 4 cross-sectional surveys, each approximately 6 months apart. Constrained ordination, a technique for analysis of ecological community data, was used to explore this complex dataset and enabled potential relationships to be uncovered and tested despite the different measurements used for the different parasites. It was found that only a small proportion of variation in the data could be explained by the risk factors measured. Very few birds (9/1280) were found to be seropositive to Newcastle disease. Positive relationships were identified between Pasteurella and Salmonella titres; and between Marek's disease and parasitic infections, and these two groups of diseases were correlated with females and males, respectively. This may suggest differences in the way that the immune systems of male and female chickens interact with these parasites. In conclusion, we find that a number of infectious pathogens and their interactions are likely to impact village chicken health and production. Control of these infections is likely to be of importance in future development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the wide range of observed phenotypic diversities and adaptation to different ecological conditions, little has been studied regarding the genetics of adaptation in the genome of indigenous cattle breeds of developing countries. Here, we investigated the linkage disequilibrium ( LD) and identified the subset of outlier loci that are highly differentiated among cattle populations adapted to different ecological conditions in Ethiopia. Specifically, we genotyped 47 unrelated animals sampled from high- versus low-altitude environments using a Bovine 50K SNP BeadChip. Linkage disequilibrium was assessed using both D′ and r2 between adjacent SNPs. We calculated FST and heterozygosity at different significance levels as measures of genetic differentiation for each locus between high- and low-altitude populations following the hierarchical island model approach. We identified 816 loci (p < 0.01) showing selection signals and are associated with genes that might have roles in local adaptation. Some of them are associated with candidate genes that are involved in metabolism ( ATP2A3 , CA2, MYO18B, SIK3, INPP4A, and IREB2), hypoxia response ( BDNF, TFRC, and PML) and heat stress ( PRKDC, CDK1, and TFDC). Average r2 and D′ values were 0.14 ± 0.21 and 0.57 ± 0.34, respectively, for a minor allele frequency ( MAF) ≥ 0.05 and were found to increase with increasing MAF value. The outlier loci identified in the studied Ethiopian cattle populations indicate the presence of genetic variation produced/shaped by adaptation to different environmental conditions and provide a basis for further validation and functional analysis using a reasonable sample size and high-density markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Village- and central nucleus-based schemes were simulated and evaluated for their relative bio-economic efficiencies, using Ethiopia's Menz sheep as example. The schemes were: village-based 2-tier (Scheme-1) and 1-tier (Scheme-2) cooperative village breeding schemes, dispersed village-based nuclei scheme (Scheme-3), conventional 2-tier central nucleus-based scheme (Scheme-4), and schemes linking a central nucleus and village multiplier nuclei with selection in central nucleus (Scheme-5) or in both central and village nuclei (Scheme-6). Among village-based schemes, Scheme-1 gave the highest genetic progress, while Scheme-2 was economically the most efficient with genetic gain in the breeding objective of Birr 5.6 and a profit of Birr 37.2/ewe/year. The central nucleus schemes were more efficient than the village schemes. Scheme-4 was the most efficient with genetic gain in the breeding objective of Birr 13.5 and a profit of Birr 71.2, but is operationally more difficult as it requires a very large central nucleus. The choice between village and central nucleus-based schemes would depend on local conditions (availability of infrastructure, logistics and technical knowhow and support). Linking central nucleus with village-based nuclei (Scheme-6) would be a feasible option to overcome the operational difficulties of the conventional central nucleus scheme. If a village-based breeding program is envisaged as should be the 1st step in most low-input systems, then Scheme-2 is the most efficient. To scale out to an entire Menz breed level, Scheme-3 would be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simulation study was conducted to optimize a cooperative village-based sheep breeding scheme for Menz sheep of Ethiopia. Genetic gains and profits were estimated under nine levels of farmers' participation and three scenarios of controlled breeding achieved in the breeding programme, as well as under three cooperative flock sizes, ewe to ram mating ratios and durations of ram use for breeding. Under fully controlled breeding, that is, when there is no gene flow between participating (P) and non-participating ( NP) flocks, profits ranged from Birr 36.9 at 90% of participation to Birr 21.3 at 10% of participation. However, genetic progress was not affected adversely. When there was gene flow from the NP to P flocks, profits declined from Birr 28.6 to Birr −3.7 as participation declined from 90 to 10%. Under the two-way gene flow model (i.e. when P and NP flocks are herded mixed in communal grazing areas), NP flocks benefited from the genetic gain achieved in the P flocks, but the benefits declined sharply when participation declined beyond 60%. Our results indicate that a cooperative breeding group can be established with as low as 600 breeding ewes mated at a ratio of 45 ewes to one ram, and the rams being used for breeding for a period of two years. This study showed that farmer cooperation is crucial to effect genetic improvement under smallholder low-input sheep farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper revises the evolutionary history of the stem root of the genus Equus from Eocene period (54millionyears before present, MYBP) to present. It also assesses molecular taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of this line since the first appearance of fossil records in terrestrial deposits. Combining these two lines of evidences, we outline a more informative and consensus phylogeny in a more understandable context. We also compare and contrast evolutionary histories and phylogenetic relationships of equids inferred from paleontological as well as varieties of molecular data and their implications. Using pair-wise coalescence time estimates, we draw a consensus speciation order in the stem root of the genus Equus. With the help of molecular data, we suggest the reasons for enigmatic speciation events between asses and zebras as well as the backgrounds for genetic dissimilarities between hemiones of Asia and asses of Africa regardless their phenotypic similarities. Based on the evidences from molecular data and review of late Pleistocene megafauna extinction in the Americas, we believe that horses were certainly domesticated in the Eurasian Steppe or elsewhere that survived late Pleistocene megafauna''s extinction than in the Americas. We discuss the true wild horse that was involved in horse domestication processes in line with recent evidences that unraveled multi-geographic origins and multi-maternal lineages in the present day domestic horses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We carried out a nationwide survey to morphologically characterize and identify the geographic distribution of Ethiopian donkey populations. Here we re-evaluated some of the donkey populations previously identified and explored new ones from which we confirmed the existence of six distinct donkey populations and rejected one donkey population that was misidentified previously. We used twelve selected morphometric variables that recorded on a total of 569 adult donkeys (289 jacks and 280 jennets) spanning over wide arrays of ecologies in Ethiopia. Mean pairwise multiple comparisons (MPMC) between traits and multivariate analysis were carried out separately for jacks, jennets and aggregated gender. The MPMC showed significant differences between donkey populations for most of the traits studied. Principal component analysis showed that three body heights (height at wither, back and rump) and body length alone account for about 87.5% the total variations (eigenvalue=10.49) of the 12 measured morphometric variables. Mahalanobis as well as Euclidean distances were also found to be highly significant (P <0.01) for pairwise comparisons of all populations. Stepwise discriminant analysis showed that, except in the order of their occurrence, the first two traits that separate between jennets and jacks were similar showing that there are no explicit anatomical dissimilarities or sexual dimorphism between genders in donkeys. Percent assignment of discriminant function analysis showed that, on average 64.83% of individuals were classified within their respective populations implying that populations were distinct. This study also explicitly showed that morphological character system (body size and coat color patterns) varies according to ecological patterns and altitudinal gradients. Such morphological divergences in contrasting ecologies may reflect response and adaptation of a given population to the prevailing ecological variables and biophysical resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High altitude pulmonary hypertension is common in cattle at high altitude areas. The extent of proneness, epidemiology, and genetics of the disease is not, however, known in Ethiopia where a large proportion of the area is at altitudes above 2700m. To learn about adaptive characteristics of cattle towards altitude, a study of physiological adaptation, measured via pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) score from 218, hematological parameters from 672, and arterial oxygen saturation predicted by pulse oximeter from 241 animals was conducted in North Western Ethiopia. Local breeds and their crosses with Holstein Friesian and Jersey were investigated. Results showed that all PAP scores (21 to 47mm Hg) fall under low to moderate risks. No sign of pulmonary hypertension was observed among all the cattle genotypes. Crosses of the local cattle with Holstein Friesian and Jersey were not more prone to the disease than local cattle. A statistically significant (P<0.05) decrease in the percent arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation (% SaO2) to approximately 82% was present in the high altitude animals. Crosses and locals at high altitude, ≥2700m, did not exhibit significant differences (P>0.05) in % SaO2. We report a new clinically relevant range of oxygen saturation, ≥68%, for the high altitude cattle which is far below the threshold value usually assumed for temperate cattle, >80%. Hematological values of the studied genotypes lie within normal ranges set for temperate breeds despite suffering from heavy parasitic infestation. The significantly greater (P<0.001) red blood cell counts, hemoglobin and hematocrit values of Simien cattle measured at 3500m compared to the other genotypes in this study were not different when compared to other breeds studied elsewhere at lower altitudes and around sea level. Simien cattle probably have unique adaptations of oxygen uptake and delivery that result in the absence of hypoxemic stimulus to increase red blood cell production and hemoglobin concentration. We concluded that indigenous cattle of the Simien Plateau of Ethiopia are adapted genetically to high altitude by largely eliminating the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response. The good adaptation is most likely due to natural selection. Understanding this adaptation model requires investigation of the biological mechanisms and the underlying genetics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study was conducted to evaluate the on-farm growth and egg production performance of 3 tropically adapted chicken breeds in western Amhara region of Ethiopia. Kuroiler, Sasso and Sasso-R were tested under the on-farm condition for 45 wk. In total 216 were included in the on-farm test. Breed by location interaction affects the body weight and daily weight gain, egg production, hen-day egg production percentage, and egg weight. Kuroiler exhibited higher body weight as Sasso in the mid-altitude than other breed by location interactions. Kuroiler at south Achefer (mid altitude) had the better daily gain than the other breed by location interactions. Sasso (111.8 ± 3.9 eggs) and Kuroiler (112.22 ± 3.53) in south Achefer (mid-land) and Kuroiler in Banija (high-land) produced significantly higher egg production up to 45 wk than the other strain by location interactions. In all locations slightly higher survivability up to 44 wk was observed for Kurolier than the other breeds. In general, differences in live weight, daily gain, egg production and egg weight could be attributed to differences in genotypes, environment differences and their interaction. Kuroiler in the high land, Sasso and Sasso-R in the mid-land were producing on average 187, 180, and 150%, respectively, more eggs than nationally reported local chicken. Therefore, Kuroiler and Sasso are recommended to be reared in the study area. Further evaluation on different traits of these breeds and their crosses with local chickens under different management systems should be undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]