Dr. Dagmawit Chombe
Dr. Dagmawit Chombe Tobiaw is a Plant Biotechnology Researcher at the Bio and Emerging Technology Institute (BETin) in Ethiopia. She holds a PhD in Applied Genetics from Addis Ababa University, an MSc in Applied Genetics, and a BSc in Biology from Jimma University. Her research expertise spans plant molecular genetics, tissue culture, and genetic diversity analysis, with a strong focus on improving crop resilience and productivity through biotechnological innovations.
Dagmawit's work during her Short Research Stay
During her Short Research Stay, Dr. Dagmawit Chombe was hosted at the Laboratory of Applied In Vitro Plant Biotechnology at Ghent University, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Stefaan Werbrouck. Her research centred on advancing in vitro propagation techniques for date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), a crop of increasing agricultural and economic significance in Ethiopia. She aims at tackling critical challenges such as phenolic oxidation, hyperhydricity, and microbial contamination, common barriers to successful tissue culture in recalcitrant species. By acquiring cutting-edge skills and methodologies, Dr. Chombe aims to enhance Ethiopia’s capacity in plant biotechnology and promote sustainable agricultural development through the dissemination and application of innovative propagation technologies.
Selected Publications
- Dagmawit Chombe Tobiaw and Endashaw Bekele (2011). Analysis of genetic diversity among cultivated enset (Ensete ventricosum) populations from Essera and Kefficho, southwestern part of Ethiopia using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) marker. Afri. J. Biotech. 10 (70):15697-15709. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB11.885
- Dagmawit Chombe, Endashaw Bekele, Tomas Bryngelsson, Abel Teshome and Mulatu Geleta (2017). Genetic structure and relationships within and between cultivated and wild korarima [Aframomum corrorima (Braun) P.C.M Jansen] in Ethiopia as revealed by simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. BMC Genetics. 18:72. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-017-0540-4
- Abebaw, Y. M., Tobiaw, D. C., Abate, B. A., Eshete, B. K., Seymour, S. K., & Tesfaye, K. (2021). Plant tissue culture research and development in Ethiopia: a case study on current status, opportunities, and challenges. Advances in Agriculture, 2021, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9979549