M'mudzi wawung'ono ku Nyandurua, pafupi ndi nkhalango ya Aberdare, alimi ambiri a mbatata amabisalira pansi pa hema kuti apewe kuzizira kotsika komwe kumatsikira m'mapiri akamatsatira maphunziro aulimi wa mbatata.
Chionetserochi chikuchitika pafamu ya a Francis Giteru, omwe ndi alimi ang'onoang'ono a mbatata m'mudzi wa Gathara, omwe akhala akulima mbewuyo zaka 20 zapitazi.
Tidakumana ndi a Giteru pafamu yawo, akumanga mbewu za mbatata m'mapepala abulauni opangidwa ndi ulusi wa nthochi - mbewu imodzi papepala lililonse - asanawabzale m'nthaka.
A Giteru ati alimi ang'onoang'ono a mbatata amakumana ndi zovuta kupeza nthanga zotsimikizika, kotero amawagawa kapena kuwagwiritsanso ntchito, zomwe zimayambitsa kufalikira kwa tizirombo ndi matenda kuchokera kufamu ina kupita kwina.
Atayamba kulima mbatata koyambirira kwa zaka za m'ma 90, amatha kukolola matumba 100 mosavuta pa hekitala. Pakati pa 2000s, zokolola zake zidatsika mpaka matumba 40 ndipo pano amangogwira matumba 15 mpaka 18 kuchokera pamunda womwewo.
"Kupatula mbewu, dothi lakula ndipo silikubala zipatso ndipo tizirombo monga chotupa cha mbatata chafalikiranso," adatero mlimiyo. A Giteru adangodziwa kuti famu yawo idadzala ndi ma nematode chaka chatha kutsatira kafukufuku wa ochita kafukufuku, chifukwa ndi tizirombo tating'onoting'ono kwambiri tomwe sitingathe kuwona mosavuta ndi maso osaphunzitsidwa.
"Asayansi adayesa nthaka yanga ndipo adapeza kuti inali ndi 25% ya ma nematode," akutero.
Ndi m'modzi mwa alimi mbatata ku Kenya omwe akubetchera ukadaulo watsopano pomwe mbewu zimakulungidwa mu pepala la nthochi lomwe lathandizidwa kuthana ndi tizilombo toyambitsa matenda a mbatata. Njira imeneyi imaletsa ma nematode kuti asawononge mbewu za mbatata.
Chaka chatha, ofufuza omwe adalemba pulogalamu ya NemAfrica, gulu la zamatenda ku International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) ndi International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe), okhudzidwa ndi kuchepa kwa zokolola za mbatata ku Kenya adachita kafukufuku 22 zigawo.
Adapeza kuti cyst ya mbatata nematode idathandizira kwambiri pakuchepa kwa zokolola za mbatata. Dziko la Nyandarua ndilo lomwe lakhudzidwa kwambiri ndi tizirombo.
“Takhala tikugwiritsa ntchito mapepala a nthochi kwa nyengo imodzi ndipo zakhala bwino. Tidabzala magawo atatu, mundime ina tidagwiritsa ntchito zokutira mapepala, enawo tidagwiritsa ntchito zokutira zomwe zidalibe mankhwala ophera tizilombo pomwe pa gawo lachitatu sitidagwiritsepo kanthu, "atero a Giteru omwe anali m'modzi mwa alimi ochepa osankhidwa kuti akhale gawo la woyendetsa ndege.
Akuti kachigawo kakang'ono kamene kanali kokulunga mbewu za mbatata kanapanga makilogalamu 50 pomwe enawo kanatulutsa 25kg.
“Sikophweka kudziwa ngati mbewu zanu zagonjetsedwa ndi ma nematode pongoyang'ana tubers kapena masamba ake. Zothimbazo sizikuwonetsa kuwonongeka kapena kusintha kwa kukoma, ”akutero. Koma tizilomboto timawononga mbewu za mbatata, zimachepetsa kwambiri zokolola ndi kukula kwa ma tuber, ndipo chifukwa chake zimakhudza ndalama za alimi.
Lembani mbatata
A Jesse Kamutu, omwe amapanga mbewu za mbatata komanso ma tuber ochokera ku Kinangop, akuti alimi mchigawochi asiya ulimi wa mbatata pazomera zina chifukwa chochepetsa zokolola komanso kusowa kwa zokolola.
Wofufuza ku IITA, a Harrison Mburu, akuti ma nematodes akamaswa ana awo, amalunjika mizu ya mbewuyo m'masabata awiri oyamba atabzala.
“Amatenga zakudya zopangira mbewu. Zimakhudza mizu yazomera zomwe zimachititsa kuti zizidumphadumpha, ndipo nthawi zina mbewu zimatha kukhala zachikasu, ”akutero, ndikuwonjeza kuti nthawi zambiri mbeu ikazulidwa, munthu sangathe kuwona ma nematode koma amatha kuwona ma tubers ang'onoang'ono omwe sanakhazikike bwino .
Kwa zaka zambiri, alimi akhala akugwiritsa ntchito mankhwala a nematicides kuwongolera tizirombo, koma kugwiritsa ntchito mankhwalawo kudaletsedwa chifukwa chakusokonekera kwachilengedwe.
Tizirombo timapezeka m'nthaka kudzera m'makina ndi mbewu zina zaulimi, chifukwa chake kasamalidwe koyenera ka famu ndi njira zabwino zitha kuchepetsa tizirombo.
“Kubzala mbewu zoyera m'nthaka yodzaza ndi zinthu zambiri sikuthandiza. Ma nematode amatha kukhala m'nthaka ngakhale zaka 30. Timalimbikitsa alimi kusiya nthaka yolima kapena kusinthasintha mbewu zawo kuti athane ndi mavutowa, ”adalangiza.
Pepala la nthochi lidaperekedwa kwa alimi kwaulere kuti aphunzire koma ofufuzawo akuti adzawononga ndalama zochepa akakhazikitsidwa mwalamulo miyezi ingapo ikubwerayi.
Malinga ndi ofufuzawo, mitundu ina ya mbatata monga Shangi - yomwe imakonda kwambiri alimi am'deralo-imakonda kwambiri ma nematode. Tsoka ilo, alimi safuna kubzala mitundu ina monga Money II ndi Jelly yomwe imagonjetsedwa, chifukwa Shangi ikufunidwa kwambiri.
NemAfrica pakadali pano ikuwunika mitundu yatsopano ya mbatata yomwe imagonjetsedwa ndi tizirombo ta mbatata (PCN).
Mizere isanu ndi itatu ya mbatata yochokera ku Scotland idafika mu Marichi chaka chino asanavomerezedwe ndi Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) pakubzala ndikuyesa malinga ndi momwe zinthu ziliri mderalo.
Prof Danny Coyne, wasayansi yaza nthaka ku IITA, yemwe wakhala akutsogolera kuyesera mizere yatsopanoyi kuti kupatula kukana kwawo ma cyst nematodes, mizereyo idasankhidwa kutengera zomwe amakonda alimi akumaloko.
"Mizereyo ikukhwima msanga ndipo imakhala ndi nthawi yayitali yogona, zomwe ndizofunikira kwambiri ku Shangi, komanso kukhala ololera kwambiri poyerekeza ndi mitundu yapano," akutero Prof Coyne.