Although this cereal is the staple food in her part of Kenya, she has had to gradually give up trying to grow it. The damage inflicted by a devastating disease known as maize streak. A worsening problem Pauline Ruiru lives near Githunguri, in the nutrient rich highlands north of Nairobi. Blessed with favorable rainfall and fertile red soils, these highlands should be a land of plenty, brimming copiously with cash crops such as tea, pyrethrum, and the many fruits and vegetables in great demand in nearby urban markets. Farmers like Ruiru watch their young plants anxiously for the tell tale symptoms that give the disease its name.
Chlorotic streaks appear on new leaves, presaging stunted growth and death.
Even if the plant survives, flowering is impeded and little seed is set. Indigenous to Africa and its offshore islands, maize streak is caused by a virus present in many of the region's native grasses. The insect, which feeds on a wide range of crops besides maize, acts as a vector for the disease, transmitting the virus through its saliva. She points sadly at the withered stalks, a shadow of a crop. This is all that remains for her.