The Invasive Vine Threatening Kiambu’s Farms and Forests.

There has been a growing concern in Kiambu County regarding a strange weed resembling spaghetti, and that is spreading at an alarming rate. The weed, whose scientific name is Cuscuta campestris , is also known as golden dodder.

Interestingly, it's called " Thiina " in Kikuyu which has an interpretation of "poverty" there is even a Kikuyu saying deriving its meaning from this dodder plant; " thiina ndŭrì mìri" which translates to; "poverty has no roots".

This saying is used to encourage the people living in squalor especially children who grow up in destitution that poverty has no roots and therefore it isn't entrenched in any family and that one's destiny can change irregardless of their backgrounds.

The slender, twining stems of the invasive weed, the dodder plant, is easy to spot against green foliage and plants in the area. This is because it also has the colour of spaghetti. The weed has no roots that anchor it to the ground; which means it gets all its energy from the host.

The slender, web-like stems and its cobweb nature allow it to snake its way around any vegetation, slowly squeezing life out of host plant.

In countries like Turkey, the plant has been used to cure liver diseases. The native range of this species is obscure. It is thought to be native to North America (Canada, USA, and Mexico) and some parts of the Caribbean. It is possibly also native to parts of South America.

This invasive plant has become a common site around Kiambu County, commonly seen on live hedges, on trees and in the field. Its spread can have a very negative impact on the farm lands it can weaken or kill plants and reduce crop yields. The impact on the host plant varies considerably depending on the species of dodder, the growth stage and condition of the host plant, and the time of infection. Infected plants are also more susceptible to diseases and insect problems. This can, therefore, hurt farmers and cause food insecurity.

The spread of dodder also has serious environmental and climate change effect since its leafless, smooth, twining stems and tendrils strangles trees or its host plants therefore reducing the oxygen levels and destroys its ability to sequester the atmospheric carbon and can eventually kill the tree or the host plant.

In some communities around Kenya, it is also referred to as "Ukimwi wa miti," which simply means "HIV for trees." HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. The weed is likened to HIV virus because of its destructive nature to vegetation.

According to research, Cuscuta campestris seeds are dispersed by wind, water, birds, other animals, and by man on machines and planting material contaminated by dodder seeds. The weed reproduces by seed, which can germinate under relatively high temperatures. The seeds can remain viable for more than 3 years. The seeds, after being ingested, are said to maintain their germinating capacity and vitality for up to 10 years. Immature seeds are said to germinate faster than mature ones.

However, though seeds are viable and germinate readily, Cuscuta species can only survive the seedling stage if they get a host immediately after germination (before the food in the cotyledons is finished) and therefore their major means of dispersal at a local scale is plant fragments that are carried by people (especially children) because of their bright colour and appeal and later throw them on other vegetation where they attach very fast and send their haustoria into their vascular systems.

Dodder infestation can be decreased by hand pulling, burning, cutting, or close mowing of the infested plants. If growers decide to use cultivation for dodder control, cultivation should be done prior to dodder's attachment to the host plant.