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International Journal of Food Science and Agriculture

ISSN Online: 2578-3475 ISSN Print: 2578-3467 CODEN: IJFSJ3
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ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijfsa.2025.12.004

Biotic Constraints to Crop Production and Food Security in Southern Ethiopia: A Review of Diseases, Pests, and Weeds in Ari, South Omo, and Konso

Daniel Abebe

Department of Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Jinka University, Jinka 165, Ari zone, Ethiopia.

*Corresponding author: Daniel Abebe

Published: December 31, 2025

Abstract

Agriculture in the Ari, South Omo, and Konso zones of southern Ethiopia is severely constrained by a complex of interacting biotic stresses, exacerbated by climatic variability. These challenges pose a significant threat to regional food security and livelihoods. Key diseases include Trichometasphaeria turcica, infecting up to 70% of maize in Ari, and Fusarium graminearum, which affects 45% of maize in Konso. Enset production is also threatened by multiple patho-gens. Insect pests, notably the African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) and cutworms, cause widespread damage to cereals and legumes across all zones. Post-harvest losses are severe, with traditional bamboo storage bins in Kena (Konso) proving ineffective against grain infestations. Furthermore, parasitic weeds such as Striga and Cuscuta cause devastating crop losses, reaching 100% in heavily infested fields of cereals and legumes. An integrated approach to pest, disease, and weed management is urgently required. The success of such strategies hinges on improving farmers’ knowledge and ensuring their access to necessary resources.

Keyword

Biotic stress; Integrated Pest Management (IPM); Food security; Weed infestation; Southern Ethiopia

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Copyright

© 2025 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
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How to cite this paper

Biotic Constraints to Crop Production and Food Security in Southern Ethiopia: A Review of Diseases, Pests, and Weeds in Ari, South Omo, and Konso

How to cite this paper: Daniel Abebe. (2025) Biotic Constraints to Crop Production and Food Security in Southern Ethiopia: A Review of Diseases, Pests, and Weeds in Ari, South Omo, and Konso. International Journal of Food Science and Agriculture9(4), 283-289.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijfsa.2025.12.004