NAIROBI (Xinhua) --
Scientists from a global invasive
species organization on Friday warned a parasitic invasive weed
known as Cuscuta is threatening the survival of crops and
biodiversity in western Kenya.
coordinator of Invasive Species at the UK-based Center for
Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), noted that the
weed is currently spreading at an alarming rate, spreading into
other plants thus suffocating them.
and livelihoods is threatened as the weed only dries out when
the host plant dies,” Witt told Xinhua in Nairobi.
The scientist said
that the weed that is yellowish in color often leads to total
crop failure hence causing untold sufferings to farmers in
He noted that once
it gets into contact with the host phloem, cuscuta causes a
severe drain on host resources and often completely preventing
normal fruit development as it depends almost entirely on the
host for growth and survival.
“The government must
come up with measures to help manage the weed or else it will
remain one of the causes of food insecurity in the country,” he
Commonly known as
field dodder, the weed is found on a wide variety of hosts in
Kenya in farms, bushy and waste places and forests. Lately, it
has been ravaging people’s fences.
Witt however said
that farmers can help keep it off their farms only if they plant
clean seeds from reliable sources.
“The hosts around
farms, forest and homes should also be removed to help stop it
from spreading to other regions,” he added.
CABI’s Plantwise Knowledge Bank Coordinator for East Africa,
confirmed that the weed is fast spreading into the region, hence
the need to develop measures against its spread.
“The weed is
apparently getting into the Kakamega forest in western Kenya
edges and is moving in the forest,” Oronje said.
She noted that
Kakamega forest’s abundant birds and primate of many species are
threatened by the weed that will eventually lead to the
escalation of human wildlife conflict and loss of revenue from
the tourists that visit the forest on a daily basis.
Eastern Africa has
many indigenous species and all have similar impacts as they all
look very similar and are hard to tell apart.
is abundant in Kakamega Forest is assumed to be native subject
to formal confirmation.
rotation with non-susceptible crops since cereals are virtually
immune from attack, and some broad-leaved crops may also be
sufficiently resistant, including soyabean, kidney bean, squash,
cucumber and cotton.
Vincent Ouma, a
farmer in Homa Bay County the invasive weed has become
increasingly problematic in the region as it is becoming much
more widespread and abundant than indicated.
“The weed has
brought down my fence and I am still weighing options before
fencing afresh,” he added.
The parasitic weed
is native to North America but has been introduced around the
world and becomes a weed in many countries.
regardless of light or darkness and its seeds are believed to
persist for up to 10 years in the soil.
can occur through the extensive growth of stems which can reach
up to five meters in just two months, but regeneration can also
occur from stem fragments which are detached and distributed
intentionally or otherwise by man, animals or machinery.
According to the
scientists, a range of soil-acting herbicides are effective in
preventing the germination and establishment of the weed but
short soil persistence meant that it rarely provided suppression
for long enough.