Nematodes' Negative Impact On African Leafy Vegetables

Plant parasitic nematodes pose a serious threat to food security in Africa as they damage crops and hamper production. Dr Nancy Ntidi, a nematologist at the Agricultural Research Council, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the effects these pests have on African leafy vegetables, and how they can be effectively managed.

- Annelie Coleman

It is expected that the world’s population will increase 35% by 2050. It is thus also anticipated that the demand for food will increase 75% over the same period. Therefore, efforts to improve crop yields are crucial. While some African countries have attained success in addressing food insecurity over the past 20 years, a lack of nutrition still poses a challenge.

As such, African leafy vegetables (ALVs), commonly known as morogo (Tswana for ‘vegetables’), are increasingly recognised as valuable sources of micronutrients and bioactive compounds such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and iron, as well as proteins and carotenoids. These vegetables are widely consumed on the continent by poor people in rural and urban areas. However, the often overlooked plant parasitic nematode problem in Africa poses a real threat to food security.

These nematodes compromise crops by limiting the uptake of water and nutrients, thus disrupting the plants’ physiology and causing lower crop yields.

They also negatively affect the quality of ALVs, which results in economic losses. According to Dr Nancy Ntidi, nematologist at the Agricultural Research Council’s Grain Crops Institute (ARC-GCI) in Potchefstroom, while these vegetables have adapted to hot and dry conditions, they remain prone to infection by various diseases and pests, incuding plant parasitic nematodes.