Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traits
Abstract Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a common plant in Ethiopia/Tigray and is known for its various uses, but the diversity of the cactus pear population in Ethiopia varies according to farmer accounts. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of the cactus pe...
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Springer
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Discover Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-025-00227-2 |
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| author | Gebremedhin Welu Teklu Kiros-Meles Ayimut Fetien Abay Abera Yemane G.Egziabher Ibrahim Fitiwi |
| author_facet | Gebremedhin Welu Teklu Kiros-Meles Ayimut Fetien Abay Abera Yemane G.Egziabher Ibrahim Fitiwi |
| author_sort | Gebremedhin Welu Teklu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a common plant in Ethiopia/Tigray and is known for its various uses, but the diversity of the cactus pear population in Ethiopia varies according to farmer accounts. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of the cactus pear population. Descriptive statistics were applied to the qualitative data using SPSS software to calculate frequency distributions. Principal component analysis (PC) was also performed to analyse the qualitative characteristics. The degree of morphological diversity was expressed as the Shannon–Weaver index (H’). Most of the cultivars in this study exhibited ovoid fruit shapes with shape indices ranging from 0.65 to 0.79. Judging by eigenvalues greater than 1, the total deposit rate for the first four PCs was 76.71%. PC1 was positively associated with the cladode shape, fruit shape, fruit shape index, and cladode shape index. Differences in the frequency distributions of morphological parameters among the districts were detected. The orange pulp colour type of cactus pear was dominant in the lower altitudinal areas while the red pulp colour type was dominant at middle altitudes. At lower altitudes, the shape of the cladodes was more elliptical. The number of glochids per fruit decreased with increasing altitude. The H’ for qualitative features ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. The average H’ values for the six traits were greater in the Tsirae-Womberta collection (0.76) but lower in those of the Saesie district (0.64), followed by the Enderta (0.65) and Gulo-Mekeda districts (0.65). The total H’ values across the altitudinal classes varied from 0.60 for pulp colour and glochids to 0.88 for peelability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-39a8df6b898e4ca2a659abe367516d4d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2731-9598 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-39a8df6b898e4ca2a659abe367516d4d2025-08-20T03:48:18ZengSpringerDiscover Agriculture2731-95982025-05-013111710.1007/s44279-025-00227-2Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traitsGebremedhin Welu Teklu0Kiros-Meles Ayimut1Fetien Abay Abera2Yemane G.Egziabher3Ibrahim Fitiwi4Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Adigrat UniversityDepartment of Dryland Crop and Horticultural Sciences, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle UniversityDepartment of Dryland Crop and Horticultural Sciences, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle UniversityDepartment of Dryland Crop and Horticultural Sciences, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle UniversityDepartment of Dryland Crop and Horticultural Sciences, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle UniversityAbstract Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a common plant in Ethiopia/Tigray and is known for its various uses, but the diversity of the cactus pear population in Ethiopia varies according to farmer accounts. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of the cactus pear population. Descriptive statistics were applied to the qualitative data using SPSS software to calculate frequency distributions. Principal component analysis (PC) was also performed to analyse the qualitative characteristics. The degree of morphological diversity was expressed as the Shannon–Weaver index (H’). Most of the cultivars in this study exhibited ovoid fruit shapes with shape indices ranging from 0.65 to 0.79. Judging by eigenvalues greater than 1, the total deposit rate for the first four PCs was 76.71%. PC1 was positively associated with the cladode shape, fruit shape, fruit shape index, and cladode shape index. Differences in the frequency distributions of morphological parameters among the districts were detected. The orange pulp colour type of cactus pear was dominant in the lower altitudinal areas while the red pulp colour type was dominant at middle altitudes. At lower altitudes, the shape of the cladodes was more elliptical. The number of glochids per fruit decreased with increasing altitude. The H’ for qualitative features ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. The average H’ values for the six traits were greater in the Tsirae-Womberta collection (0.76) but lower in those of the Saesie district (0.64), followed by the Enderta (0.65) and Gulo-Mekeda districts (0.65). The total H’ values across the altitudinal classes varied from 0.60 for pulp colour and glochids to 0.88 for peelability.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-025-00227-2Cactus pearFrequency distributionDiversity indexGenetic diversityQualitative traitsPopulation |
| spellingShingle | Gebremedhin Welu Teklu Kiros-Meles Ayimut Fetien Abay Abera Yemane G.Egziabher Ibrahim Fitiwi Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traits Discover Agriculture Cactus pear Frequency distribution Diversity index Genetic diversity Qualitative traits Population |
| title | Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traits |
| title_full | Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traits |
| title_fullStr | Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traits |
| title_short | Phenotypic diversity of cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) populations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, based on qualitative traits |
| title_sort | phenotypic diversity of cactus pear o ficus indica l mill populations in tigray northern ethiopia based on qualitative traits |
| topic | Cactus pear Frequency distribution Diversity index Genetic diversity Qualitative traits Population |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-025-00227-2 |
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