Mbatata chotupa nematode ndi owopsa tizilombo. Nyongolotsi zazing'onozi zimakhala m'nthaka, ndikulowa mumizu ya mbewu zazing'ono za mbatata ndikuchepetsa zokolola ndi 70%. Zimakhalanso zovuta kuchotsa: mazirawo amatetezedwa mkati mwa thupi la mkazi, lomwe limasanduka chotupa pambuyo pa imfa, limatha kupitirira m'nthaka kwa zaka zambiri.
Kafukufuku waposachedwa wasonyeza kuti thumba la pepala losavuta lopangidwa kuchokera ku ulusi wa nthochi limalepheretsa cyst nematodes kuswa komanso kupeza mizu ya mbatata. Njira yatsopanoyi idachulukitsa zokolola ndi kasanu pamayesero pamafamu ang'onoang'ono ku Kenya.
Graeme Thiele, mkulu wa kafukufuku ku International Potato Center anati: “Ili ndi gawo lofunika kwambiri pa ntchitoyo. Koma “pali ntchito yochuluka yoti ichitidwe kusintha zimenezi kuchoka pa kupeza njira yabwino kukhala yankho lenileni kwa alimi a Kum’mawa kwa Africa,” iye akuchenjeza motero.
Nthaka nematodes ndi vuto la mitundu yambiri ya mbewu. Kwa mbatata, nematode wagolide (Globodera rostochiensis) ndi wowopsa padziko lonse lapansi. Zomera zomwe zili ndi matenda, mizu yowonongeka imakhala ndi masamba achikasu, ofota. Mbatatazi ndi zazing'ono ndipo nthawi zambiri zimawonongeka kwambiri, zomwe zimapangitsa kuti zikhale zosatheka kugulitsa. M’mayiko ofunda, nematode imatha kulamuliridwa mwa kusinthasintha mbatata ndi mbewu zina, kupopera mankhwala m’nthaka ndi mankhwala ophera tizilombo, ndi kubzala mitundu yolimbana ndi matenda.
Njirazi sizikugwirabe ntchito m'mayiko ambiri omwe akutukuka kumene, mwa zina chifukwa mankhwala ophera tizilombo ndi okwera mtengo komanso mitundu ya mbatata yosamva sapezeka kumadera otentha. Kuphatikiza apo, alimi ang'onoang'ono, omwe amatha kupeza ndalama zambiri pogulitsa mbatata, nthawi zambiri safuna kusinthana kubzala mbatata ndi mbewu zosafunikira kwenikweni.
Ku Kenya, nematode ya mbatata yakula ndipo ikukula bwino. Danny Coyne, katswiri wa nematode pa International Institute of Tropical Agriculture anati: “Kuchulukana kwa nematode n’kwambiri kwambiri. Izi zimadzetsa vuto lina la kuwonongeka kwa zamoyo zosiyanasiyana, pomwe alimi a mbatata amadula nkhalango kuti apange minda yatsopano yopanda nematode.
Lingaliro loti mapepala a nthochi atha kuthandiza alimi kuchotsa nematode m'nthaka idayamba zaka 10 zapitazo. Ofufuza a ku North Carolina State University anali kufunafuna njira yothandizira alimi m'mayiko omwe akutukuka kumene kuti apereke mankhwala ang'onoang'ono a mankhwala ophera tizilombo. Anayesa zinthu zosiyanasiyana ndipo anapeza kuti mapepala opangidwa kuchokera ku nthochi amagwira ntchito bwino kwambiri. Ulusi wake wa tubula, porous umatulutsa mankhwala ophera tizilombo m'nthaka kwa milungu ingapo asanagwe. Pofika nthawi imeneyo, mbewuyo idakula mokwanira moti ngakhale itatenga kachilomboka, imakhala ndi mizu yabwino.
M’mayesero a m’munda, ofufuza anawonjezera abamectin, mankhwala ophera tizilombo amene amapha nematodes, pamapepala. Anabzalanso mbatata mu pepala la nthochi popanda abamectin monga ulamuliro. Chodabwitsa n’chakuti, zomera zimenezi zinkachitanso chimodzimodzi ndi zomera zomwe zinali m’mapepala a mankhwala ophera tizilombo. Coyne adagawana zotsatira zododometsazi ndi mnzake, katswiri wazachilengedwe dzina lake Baldwin Torto, yemwe amaphunzira zokhudzana ndi zomera ndi tizirombo ku International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology.
Pamodzi ndi Juliet Ochola, yemwe tsopano ndi wophunzira womaliza maphunziro awo ku North Carolina State University, Torto adayendetsa zoyeserera kuti adziwe zomwe zikuchitika. Iwo anapeza kuti pepala la nthochi lili ndi zinthu zofunika kwambiri zimene zimatuluka kuchokera ku mizu ya mbewu za mbatata, zomwe zina zimakopa tizilombo toyambitsa matenda timene timathandiza mbewuyo. Nematodes aphunziranso kuzindikira zinthu izi. Zina, monga alpha-chaconin, ndi chizindikiro choti mazira a nematode athyole. Ochola anati: “Ngati ambiri aswa nthawi imodzi, amatha kutsegula zilondazo. Akaswa, ana a nematode amazindikira kugwirizana kwake ndipo amawagwiritsa ntchito kupeza mizu ya mbatata.
Ulusi wa nthochi umatenga 94% ya mankhwalawo, Ochola ndi anzawo adapeza. Pamene adavumbulutsa mazira a nematode kuti awonongeke ndi mapepala, chiwerengero cha hatch chinachepetsedwa ndi 85% poyerekeza ndi zowongolera, gululo linanena m'magazini ya Nature Sustainability. Kufufuza kwina kwawonetsa kuti nematodes wosweka amakhala ndi mwayi wopeza mizu ya mbatata yophimbidwa ndi pepala.
M'minda yodzala nematode ku Kenya, Coyne ndi anzawo adawonetsa kuti kubzala mbatata atakulungidwa mu pepala lopanda nthochi kuwirikiza katatu zokolola poyerekeza ndi kubzala popanda mapepala. Kadontho kakang'ono ka abamectin m'mapepala—okwana masauzande asanu okha a omwe amapopera panthaka—kunawonjezera zokolola ndi 50%. Mwinamwake, nematode iliyonse yomwe imatera pa mbatata imaphedwa ndi abamectin.
Tsopano ofufuza akupeza momwe angapezere mapepala okulunga ndi kulima mbatata kwa alimi a ku East Africa. Minda ya nthochi ku Kenya ndi mayiko oyandikana nayo imatha kupereka ulusi, womwe tsopano ukutayidwa ngati zinyalala. Kenako opanga mapepala ankatha kupanga matumba. Malinga ndi Coyne, vuto lalikulu lidzakhala kukopa alimi kugula pepala lokha.
Alimi akayesa matumbawo, ochita kafukufuku amanena kuti adzapeza kuti ndi osavuta kugwiritsa ntchito. "Ingokulungani ndikubzala," akutero Ochola.
Koma kulongedza mbatata yochuluka kukadakhala kovutirapo, akutero Isabelle Conceicao, katswiri wa nematode pa Yunivesite ya Coimbra. Ngati makina omangira mbatata apangidwa, adatero, mwina njirayo ingagwiritsidwe ntchito m'mafamu akuluakulu pogwiritsa ntchito makina obzala.