Resistance of Opuntia ficus-indica cv ‘Rojo Pelon’ to Dactylopius coccus (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) under greenhouse condition

Abstract

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.), is called "beles" in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where it is used for multiple purposes, such as food, fodder, and fences; however, in recent years the introduction of the cochineal (Dactylopius coccus Costa) to this region has caused it to become a plague that has affected thousands of hectares, causing an economic and social problem. Six cultivars: three from Opuntia ficus-indica (‘Atlixco’, ‘Chicomostoc’, and ‘Rojo Pelón’) and three others O. cochenillifera (‘Nopalea’ and ‘Bioplástico’) and O. robusta (‘Robusta’) were tested for resistance to D. coccus in completely randomized design (CRD) experiment with six replications under greenhouse conditions, for two seasons (cycles). Matured cladodes were infested by attaching a paper bag with ten ovipositing female D. coccus. The number of insects at different stages and yields were recorded, log transformed (insect count data), and subjected to statistical analysis. The number of nymphs (stages I and II) was significantly different in both cycles (P=0.0000). The insects died at the nymph I stage at ‘Rojo Pelón’ and ‘Robusta’, in contrast, they completed their life cycle at ‘Atlixco’, ‘Chicomostoc’, and ‘Nopalea’ cultivars. Insects at ‘Bioplástico’ cultivar remained in the nymph I stage the whole experimental period; the molting was hampered. Although some crawlers started settling (nymph I) at ‘Rojo Pelón’, they couldn’t survive and developed, and this confirms that this O. ficus-indica cultivar is resistant to D. coccus.

Interactions of Opuntia ficus-indica with Dactylopius coccus and D. opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) through the Study of Their Volatile Compounds

“…These programs could be aimed at improving the rearing of D. coccus or inducing resistance to D. opuntiae. In this regard, breeding programs for O. ficus-indica resistant to D. opuntiae have already been developed in Brazil and Morocco, and these have focused on physical and biochemical defense mechanisms [15,21,58]. For example, selecting cultivars with high concentrations of calcium oxalates can physically and biochemically limit phytophagous insects [59,60].…”

“…Dactylopius opuntiae and O. ficus-indica Rojo Pelón cultivars (infested and uninfested) were collected from an experimental field at Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus San Luis Potosí (Salinas, SLP). These cactus pear cultivars were selected with the knowledge that each one is favorable for the development of the respective Dactylopius species [58]. The taxonomic identity of Dactylopuis species was corroborated by S. J. Méndez-Gallegos using De Lotto (1974) [40] and Ferris (1955) keys [61].…”

Interactions of Opuntia ficus-indica with Dactylopius coccus and D. opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) through the Study of Their Volatile Compounds

“…These programs could be aimed to improve rearing of D. coccus, or to induce resistance to D. opuntiae. In this regard, breeding programs for O. ficus-indica resistant to D. opuntiae have already been developed in Brazil and Morocco, and these have focused on physical and biochemical defense mechanisms [15,21,58]. For example, selecting cultivars with high concentrations of calcium oxalates can physically and biochemically limit phytophagous insects [59,60].…”

“…Dactylopius opuntiae and O. ficusindica Rojo Pelón cultivar (infested and uninfested) were collected from an experimental field of Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus San Luis Potosí (Salinas, SLP). These cactus pear cultivars were selected with the knowledge that each one is favorable for the development of the respective Dactylopius species [58]. The taxonomic identity of Dactylopuis species was corroborated by S. J. Méndez-Gallegos using De Lotto (1974) [40] and Ferris (1955) keys [61].…”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve biomass, photosynthesis, and water use efficiency of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller under different water levels

“…It is a CAM plant (Scalisi et al, 2015). The plant is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid areas (Ochoa and Barbera, 2017;Berhe et al, 2022). It is considered as drought resistant, tolerant, and escaping plant (Liguori et al, 2013;Scalisi et al, 2015).…”