* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Entertainment lineup released for 2025 Mississippi State Fair – WAPT

    Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for the 2025 Mississippi State Fair!

    After Denzel Washington Said He Would Be In Black Panther 3, Ryan Coogler Explained Why He’s ‘Fine’ With That Information Being Revealed So Early – Yahoo

    Ryan Coogler Shares Why He’s Cool with Denzel Washington’s Black Panther 3 Reveal!

    Traveling Tacos and Tequila Festival to stop at Florence Yall’s stadium this October – Cincinnati Enquirer

    Get Ready for a Flavor Fiesta: Traveling Tacos and Tequila Festival Hits Florence Y’all’s Stadium This October!

    9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

    Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

    Shows to Watch – The Advocate

    Must-See Shows You Can’t Miss!

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Fire Tech Brief: 5 Fire Apparatus Technology Upgrades – firehouse.com

    Revving Up Safety: 5 Innovative Upgrades for Fire Apparatus Technology

    U.S. FDA Grants Platform Technology Designation to the Viral Vector Used in SRP-9003, Sarepta’s Investigational Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2E/R4 – Sarepta Therapeutics

    Breakthrough for Gene Therapy: FDA Designates Viral Vector in Sarepta’s SRP-9003 for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

    Waunakee Fifth-Graders Dive into the Future at Exciting Tech Day!

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says – MarketBeat

    UBS Analyst Predicts Surge in Micron Technology Stock Price!

    Domo to Participate in the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit – Business Wire

    Domo Set to Shine at the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit!

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Entertainment lineup released for 2025 Mississippi State Fair – WAPT

    Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for the 2025 Mississippi State Fair!

    After Denzel Washington Said He Would Be In Black Panther 3, Ryan Coogler Explained Why He’s ‘Fine’ With That Information Being Revealed So Early – Yahoo

    Ryan Coogler Shares Why He’s Cool with Denzel Washington’s Black Panther 3 Reveal!

    Traveling Tacos and Tequila Festival to stop at Florence Yall’s stadium this October – Cincinnati Enquirer

    Get Ready for a Flavor Fiesta: Traveling Tacos and Tequila Festival Hits Florence Y’all’s Stadium This October!

    9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

    Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

    Shows to Watch – The Advocate

    Must-See Shows You Can’t Miss!

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Fire Tech Brief: 5 Fire Apparatus Technology Upgrades – firehouse.com

    Revving Up Safety: 5 Innovative Upgrades for Fire Apparatus Technology

    U.S. FDA Grants Platform Technology Designation to the Viral Vector Used in SRP-9003, Sarepta’s Investigational Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2E/R4 – Sarepta Therapeutics

    Breakthrough for Gene Therapy: FDA Designates Viral Vector in Sarepta’s SRP-9003 for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

    Waunakee Fifth-Graders Dive into the Future at Exciting Tech Day!

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says – MarketBeat

    UBS Analyst Predicts Surge in Micron Technology Stock Price!

    Domo to Participate in the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit – Business Wire

    Domo Set to Shine at the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit!

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Insect infestation ravages North African prickly pear

July 21, 2024
in Science
Insect infestation ravages North African prickly pear
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In Chebika, as in other rural areas in central Tunisia, many farmers' fields of prickly pear have been spoiled by the cochineal, which swept through North Africa 10 years ago

In Chebika, as in other rural areas in central Tunisia, many farmers’ fields of prickly pear have been spoiled by the cochineal, which swept through North Africa 10 years ago.

Amor Nouira, a farmer in Tunisia’s Chebika village, has lost hope of saving his prickly pear cacti, ravaged by the cochineal insect spreading across North Africa.

The 50-year-old has seen his half-hectare of cactus crops wither as the invasive insect wreaked havoc on about a third of the country’s cacti after an outbreak in 2021.

“At first, I wanted to experiment with prickly pear production and gradually develop investments while looking for customers outside the country, especially for its natural oil,” said Nouira.

“But… as the cacti became damaged, I abandoned the idea of investing and stopped thinking about it altogether.”

Prickly pear is consumed as food and used to make oils, cosmetics and body-care products.

In Chebika, as in other rural areas in central Tunisia, many farmers’ fields of prickly pear—also known as Opuntia—have been spoiled by the cochineal, which swept through North Africa 10 years ago, beginning in Morocco.

The insect, like the prickly pear, is native to the Americas and feeds on the plant’s nutrients and fluids, often killing it.

The infestations have resulted in significant economic losses for thousands of farmers reliant on prickly pear, as authorities struggle to combat the epidemic in a country where its fruit is widely consumed as a summertime snack.

Cochineal infestations have resulted in significant economic losses for thousands of farmers reliant on prickly pear, as authorities struggle to combat the epidemic

Cochineal infestations have resulted in significant economic losses for thousands of farmers reliant on prickly pear, as authorities struggle to combat the epidemic.

Livelihood

Tunisian authorities estimate that about 150,000 families make a living from cultivating Opuntia.

The North African country is the world’s second-largest producer of its fruit, after Mexico, with about 600,000 hectares of crops and a yield of about 550,000 tonnes per year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Only production allocated for export—about a third of overall crops—has remained in good condition, said Rabeh Hajlaoui, head of the department of plant health at Tunisia’s agriculture ministry.

“We’re making every effort to save these plants, which are an important source of income to some locals,” he explained, as one liter of extracted Opuntia oil can be sold for as much as $4,200.

Farmers also plant prickly pear cacti for their resistance to drought and desertification, and sometimes use them to demarcate and fence property in Tunisia and neighboring Libya.

In Morocco, where the first cases of cochineal were found in 2014, Opuntia is cultivated over a total of 160,000 hectares.

One solution to cochineal infestations is spreading the Hyperaspis trifurcata ladybird -- also native to the Americas -- among the cacti, which preys on cochineal

One solution to cochineal infestations is spreading the Hyperaspis trifurcata ladybird — also native to the Americas — among the cacti, which preys on cochineal.

In 2016, the Moroccan government issued an “emergency plan” to combat cochineal infestation by experimenting with various chemicals, burying infected cacti and conducting research on developing variants resilient to the insect.

Despite the plan, by August 2022, about 75 percent of Opuntia crops in Morocco had been infested, according to Mohamed Sbaghi, a professor at Rabat’s National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) and the emergency plan coordinator.

In neighboring Algeria, authorities recorded an outbreak in 2021 in Tlemcen, a city near the border with Morocco.

Prickly pear cultivation in the country covers around 60,000 hectares, and the fruit is so cherished that a festival dedicated to it is held every year in the eastern Kabylia region.

‘Public safety’

Neither the plant nor cochineal is native to North Africa, but the region’s dry climate helped them spread, said Tunisian entomologist Brahim Chermiti.

“Climate change, with increasing drought and high temperatures, facilitates their reproduction,” he told AFP.

Hajlaoui fears total contagion, as 'sooner or later, it will spread, with the help of many factors such as the wind and livestock'

Hajlaoui fears total contagion, as ‘sooner or later, it will spread, with the help of many factors such as the wind and livestock’

The region has experienced severe drought in recent years, with declining rainfall and intense heat.

Chermiti believes it’s a matter of “public safety” to combat cochineal infestation, requiring “strict border crossing monitoring and public awareness”.

The researcher fears total contagion, as “sooner or later, it will spread, with the help of many factors such as the wind and livestock”.

Hajlaoui, from Tunisia’s agriculture ministry, said the issue could even cause social unrest if it spreads to farms in marginalized areas, such as Tunisia’s Kasserine governorate, where Opuntia is nearly the only source of livelihood for many.

He said the “slowness of administrative procedure” during the first major outbreaks in Tunisia impeded efforts to stem the spread of cochineal.

At first, Morocco and Tunisia burned and uprooted infected crops, but authorities now aim for “natural resistance” to the insect, said Hajlaoui.

Last summer, Morocco’s INRA said it identified eight cochineal-resistant Opuntia varieties that could potentially be cultivated.

In 2016, the Moroccan government issued an 'emergency plan' to combat cochineal infestation, including by experimenting with various chemicals

In 2016, the Moroccan government issued an ’emergency plan’ to combat cochineal infestation, including by experimenting with various chemicals.

The other solution, added the expert, is spreading the Hyperaspis trifurcata ladybird—also native to the Americas—among the cacti, which preys on cochineal.

In Morocco, farmers began raising the ladybird “so that it is always ready” in case of outbreaks, said Aissa Derhem, head of the environmental association Dar Si Hmad.

Last month, Tunisia received 100 ladybirds along with an emergency budget of $500,000 to battle cochineal, allocated by the FAO.

© 2024 AFP

Citation:
Insect infestation ravages North African prickly pear (2024, July 21)
retrieved 21 July 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-07-insect-infestation-ravages-north-african.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Phys.org – https://phys.org/news/2024-07-insect-infestation-ravages-north-african.html

Tags: infestationInsectscience
Previous Post

Stepping stones for wildlife: How linking up isolated habitats can help nature thrive in our cities

Next Post

Flash floods across China kill at least 20, dozens missing

Dollar advances against peers after strong US economic data – Reuters

Dollar advances against peers after strong US economic data – Reuters

June 7, 2025
Entertainment lineup released for 2025 Mississippi State Fair – WAPT

Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for the 2025 Mississippi State Fair!

June 7, 2025
Water-cleaning bacteria can produce health, economic benefits – ASU News

Revolutionary Water-Cleaning Bacteria: Unlocking Health and Economic Benefits!

June 7, 2025
The end of the affair? – The Economist

Is This the Final Chapter of Their Love Story

June 7, 2025
Fire Tech Brief: 5 Fire Apparatus Technology Upgrades – firehouse.com

Revving Up Safety: 5 Innovative Upgrades for Fire Apparatus Technology

June 7, 2025
The Business of Sports | Houston Business Journal to host powerhouse panel – KHOU

The Business of Sports | Houston Business Journal to host powerhouse panel – KHOU

June 7, 2025
Too much of a green thing – Economy and ecology – ips-journal.eu

Striking the Balance: Navigating the Intersection of Economy and Ecology

June 6, 2025
Why Resident Alien’s showrunner trapped Alan Tudyk in his human form – Polygon

Unveiling the Mystery: How Resident Alien’s Showrunner Keeps Alan Tudyk Grounded in His Human Role

June 6, 2025
Weed Science Society shares funding cut concerns with lawmakers – Brownfield Ag News

Weed Science Society shares funding cut concerns with lawmakers – Brownfield Ag News

June 6, 2025
Afrimaxx – Modern African Lifestyle – DW

Afrimaxx – Modern African Lifestyle – DW

June 6, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (672)
  • Economy (687)
  • Entertainment (21,593)
  • General (15,267)
  • Health (9,728)
  • Lifestyle (689)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (687)
  • Politics (694)
  • Science (15,904)
  • Sports (21,190)
  • Technology (15,672)
  • World (671)

Recent News

Dollar advances against peers after strong US economic data – Reuters

Dollar advances against peers after strong US economic data – Reuters

June 7, 2025
Entertainment lineup released for 2025 Mississippi State Fair – WAPT

Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for the 2025 Mississippi State Fair!

June 7, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version