The invasive plant, parthenium known in Afaan Oromoo as “farmasissa” (means sign away your land) and in Amharic as “kinche arem” has infested the farmlands, pastures, homesteads and towns of Ethiopia. Parthenium reduces the yield of major food crops such as teff and sorghum.
Parthenium displaces pasture grasses thereby adversely affecting livestock production. When cattle graze on the plant because of the lack of pasture grasses, it taints their meat and makes the milk bitter. Also, when people come in contact with parthenium, it can cause respiratory as well as skin rushes
In Australia and India, parthenium is controlled using natural enemies. These natural enemies only attack parthenium and do not feed on any other plant. A project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) led by Dr. Wondimagegnehu Mersie at Virginia State University has introduced two natural enemies to control farmasissa in Ethiopia.
One is a beetle that feeds on farmasissa leaves while the other is a weevil that bores the stem and kills it from the inside. After proving the safety of these natural enemies to Ethiopian crops and native plants, they have been released in the Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ States.
As shown on the before and after release pictures from Arba Minch, the beetle can kill farmasissa. The weevil has also shown its effectiveness against farmasissa at sites around Mojo in central Oromia and in Eastern Wollo.
This project has shown that both the beetle and the weevil can be used to control parthenium in Ethiopia. However, these natural enemies need to be mass-reared and released in all parts of Ethiopia where parthenium is a problem. This requires the collaboration of farmers, governmental and non-governmental agencies. With everyone working together, this scourge can be eliminated in Ethiopia.
(Editor’s Note: Wondimagegnehu Mersie (Ph.D) is an Associate Dean and Director of Research for Agricultural Research at Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA USA)
The Ethiopian Herald October 22, 2019
BYWONDIMAGEGNEHU MERSIE (Ph.D) & LIDYA ALEMAYHU
