Scientists step up training so farmers can beat potato pests

Scientists and researchers in Africa say they are working together and are producing positive results in the fight against microscopic potato cyst nematode (PCN) infestation in key crops like potatoes.

Science experts from the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), in collaboration with Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT-Africa) under the auspices of the African Cereal and Legume Breeding Consortium (ACLBC), announced innovative diagnostic tools and management strategies to tackle the PCN threat at events in Kenya.

Potatoes are an essential staple food in East and Southern Africa. The crop is the livelihood of an estimated 800,000 smallholder farmers, covering over 800,000 hectares of land. Nearly 9 million tons of potatoes are produced in the region annually, according to an article in AfricanEyeReport.com. However, the future of the potato is in peril due to PCN.

PCN is highly prevalent in at least four countries in East and Southern Africa, Top Africa News reported. It infects and feeds on potato roots, causing significant yield losses and threatening regional trade due to strict border phytosanitary controls. Early detection and management are critical to protect farmer livelihoods and regional potato markets, according to the report.

Nematology expertise

It is against this backdrop that researchers say they are multiplying strategies, especially training more experts in Africa to improve the needed field operations to assist farmers to protect their crops.

“Limited nematology expertise has dragged progress in creating awareness of nematodes in Africa. So, we are working to train more nematology experts towards improving nematology knowledge. This includes the integration of nematology in undergraduate studies as a standalone topic in agriculture and biology programmes.

“Normally, nematology is tagged onto the back of pathology or entomology, and taught by non-nematologists, who may not be as interested or as knowledgeable and, thus, may not have the same zest or energy for nematology,” said Dr Danny Coyne, nematologist and co-lead of NemAfrica at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, or IITA.

Coyne shared his reflections at a press briefing on the work of Nem-Africa on 18 August 2025. He co-leads with Dr Solveig Haukeland at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. The briefing was organised by the ACLBC ahead of their inaugural workshop and field demonstration.

Timely interventions

At a training workshop earlier in August 2025 in Nairobi, research experts said they were collaborating constructively to empower national plant protection organisations and specialists in Africa to effectively detect and manage PCN infestation that has had devastating effects across the region.

“Research institutions and university experts are training scientists who will further train other experts in their different countries on sample collection, extraction, and identification of PCN,” Dr Harun Murithi, a consultant crop health specialist at IITA, said during the opening of the workshop.

“Accurate identification of PCN by science and research experts will enable timely interventions, protect farmers’ livelihoods and contribute to food security. Universities in Africa have a crucial role, using their expertise and laboratory equipment that provide the enabling environment to achieve these results,” he added.

Agriculture experts say dealing with critical skilled workforce gaps in Africa’s seed sector necessitates firm training collaboration between universities and plant protection organisations, an initiative that seeks to tackle challenges related to the availability of qualified professionals and the dynamic nature of the seed industry.

“Introducing short-term training programmes in the agriculture department at universities in Africa will help enhance the skills and knowledge of seed professionals across the continent,” Dr Eugène Ehabe, chief of service for policy and programming at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, Yaoundé, Cameroon, told University World News.

Top Africa News reported that technical training of experts spearheaded by the IITA through the NemAfrica lab to equip national plant protection agencies in 12 countries in Africa has been launched.

Regional cooperation

The workshop brought together research experts and plant scientists from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Lesotho to build foundational diagnostic skills for national plant protection organisations. In addition, technicians and laboratory staff are being trained in sample collection, extraction, and identification of PCN.

Stakeholders across the potato value chain, from farmers to traders and policymakers, are encouraged to learn how to recognise PCN symptoms. Furthermore, the project has highlighted the need to promote regional cooperation to prevent the spread of PCN.

Research experts say cross-border training and collaboration among specialists is imperative in achieving the success needed. “By strengthening diagnostic capacity and fostering regional collaboration, this project is a vital step toward safeguarding potato production and trade in Eastern and Southern Africa,” Murithi said.

“Essential diagnostic equipment and consumables to conduct this work, such as the key extraction tool known as the Fenwick-can and sieves, are provided to national plant protection labs. In addition, the project is supporting detection surveys in major potato-growing regions in the target countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to map the presence of PCN,” according to the workshop report.

IITA officials say following the series of training, some African countries in collaboration with university experts have begun conducting national detection surveys with support from NemAfrica. Zimbabwe, for example, has completed sample extraction and identification, while Zambia and Malawi are currently in progress. Ethiopia has completed sample collection, with Lesotho, Mozambique, and Uganda already planned, Murithi said.

Quality seed management systems

Fieldwork showed an unexpected challenge in nematology research. “There are regular discoveries in relation to recording new hosts for certain species of nematode or finding new species or discovering species in new locations, through to discovering new ways and technologies for managing nematode pests. But, probably the most surprising discovery, was the high prevalence of PCN across Kenya, and its presence in other East African countries – and as such posing a major threat to the potato industry across East Africa,” Coyne said at the media briefing.

Experts emphasised the need to drive the dynamic seed industry that the continent is known for, amid the challenges.

“Like many other industries, the seed business in Africa has changed over time. These changes stem from climate change, new farming techniques and technologies, seed market demands, finance, investments and human skills, agricultural policies and regulations,” Dr Yacouba Diallo, AFSTA’s secretary general, said at the association’s Congress 2025 on 3 March 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda.

According to Ehabe, a quality seed management system is the backbone of agricultural activities for countless smallholder farmers in Africa.

“Supporting seed management systems and strengthening the role of farmers’ organisations can improve seed quality, enhance food security, and promote resilient agricultural practices in Africa,” he said.