Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia
The cactus pear (<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i>) is a crucial plant in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, widely distributed in arid and semi-arid environments. It serves as a seasonal food, and is used in livestock feed, fencing, soil conservation, and environmental protection. Recently, the cactu...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Haftay Gebreyesus Gebreziher Simon Zebelo Yohannes Gerezihier Gebremedhin Gebremedhin Welu Teklu Yemane Kahsay Berhe Daniel Hagos Berhe Araya Kahsay Gerezgiher Araya Kiros Weldetnsae Zinabu Hailu Gebrekidan Tesfay Weldeslasse Gebremariam Gebrezgabher Gebremedhin Tsegay Kahsay Gebrekidan Zaid Negash Beira H. Meressa Liberato Portillo |
| author_facet | Haftay Gebreyesus Gebreziher Simon Zebelo Yohannes Gerezihier Gebremedhin Gebremedhin Welu Teklu Yemane Kahsay Berhe Daniel Hagos Berhe Araya Kahsay Gerezgiher Araya Kiros Weldetnsae Zinabu Hailu Gebrekidan Tesfay Weldeslasse Gebremariam Gebrezgabher Gebremedhin Tsegay Kahsay Gebrekidan Zaid Negash Beira H. Meressa Liberato Portillo |
| author_sort | Haftay Gebreyesus Gebreziher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The cactus pear (<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i>) is a crucial plant in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, widely distributed in arid and semi-arid environments. It serves as a seasonal food, and is used in livestock feed, fencing, soil conservation, and environmental protection. Recently, the cactus pear populations in Tigray have been severely affected by an exotic insect, the cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>). It damaged cactus pear populations in the region’s southern, southeastern, and eastern zones. The Tigray war that broke out in November 2020 exacerbated <i>D. coccus</i> infestation. A study was conducted in the eastern zone of Tigray to assess the impact of the armed conflict on the trends of this infestation and propose sustainable management approaches for sustainable cactus pear production in post-war Tigray. Both primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed that <i>D. coccus</i> infestation significantly increased during the war and in the post-war period, compared to in the pre-war period. The number of districts involved and level of <i>D. coccus</i> infestation of cactus pear populations increased. The rapid spread was attributed to the interruption of pest management activities due to the armed conflict. To mitigate the spread and ensure sustainable cactus pear production, this study recommends different management approaches to manage <i>D. coccus</i> dissemination and sustainably produce cactus pear in the region, including pest prevention, suppression, or eradication. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-89902209cde54aba8fa4ef40fca82fe5 |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-89902209cde54aba8fa4ef40fca82fe52025-08-20T03:13:48ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-04-01148122810.3390/plants14081228Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern EthiopiaHaftay Gebreyesus Gebreziher0Simon Zebelo1Yohannes Gerezihier Gebremedhin2Gebremedhin Welu Teklu3Yemane Kahsay Berhe4Daniel Hagos Berhe5Araya Kahsay Gerezgiher6Araya Kiros Weldetnsae7Zinabu Hailu8Gebrekidan Tesfay Weldeslasse9Gebremariam Gebrezgabher Gebremedhin10Tsegay Kahsay Gebrekidan11Zaid Negash12Beira H. Meressa13Liberato Portillo14Department of Horticulture, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD 21853, USADepartment of Natural Resource Management, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDeparment of Plant Sciences, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Horticulture, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Natural Resource Management, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Natural Resource Management, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Animal Sciences, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaDepartment of Economics, Adigrat University, Adigrat 50, EthiopiaFederal Research Center for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Messeweg 11-12, 38104 Brunswick, GermanyDepartment of Botany and Zoology, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44100, MexicoThe cactus pear (<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i>) is a crucial plant in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, widely distributed in arid and semi-arid environments. It serves as a seasonal food, and is used in livestock feed, fencing, soil conservation, and environmental protection. Recently, the cactus pear populations in Tigray have been severely affected by an exotic insect, the cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>). It damaged cactus pear populations in the region’s southern, southeastern, and eastern zones. The Tigray war that broke out in November 2020 exacerbated <i>D. coccus</i> infestation. A study was conducted in the eastern zone of Tigray to assess the impact of the armed conflict on the trends of this infestation and propose sustainable management approaches for sustainable cactus pear production in post-war Tigray. Both primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed that <i>D. coccus</i> infestation significantly increased during the war and in the post-war period, compared to in the pre-war period. The number of districts involved and level of <i>D. coccus</i> infestation of cactus pear populations increased. The rapid spread was attributed to the interruption of pest management activities due to the armed conflict. To mitigate the spread and ensure sustainable cactus pear production, this study recommends different management approaches to manage <i>D. coccus</i> dissemination and sustainably produce cactus pear in the region, including pest prevention, suppression, or eradication.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/8/1228cactus pearcochinealTigray warmanagement approaches |
| spellingShingle | Haftay Gebreyesus Gebreziher Simon Zebelo Yohannes Gerezihier Gebremedhin Gebremedhin Welu Teklu Yemane Kahsay Berhe Daniel Hagos Berhe Araya Kahsay Gerezgiher Araya Kiros Weldetnsae Zinabu Hailu Gebrekidan Tesfay Weldeslasse Gebremariam Gebrezgabher Gebremedhin Tsegay Kahsay Gebrekidan Zaid Negash Beira H. Meressa Liberato Portillo Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia Plants cactus pear cochineal Tigray war management approaches |
| title | Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia |
| title_full | Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia |
| title_short | Trends of Cochineal (<i>Dactylopius coccus</i>) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia |
| title_sort | trends of cochineal i dactylopius coccus i infestation as affected by armed conflict and intervention mechanisms for sustainable management in tigray northern ethiopia |
| topic | cactus pear cochineal Tigray war management approaches |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/8/1228 |
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