Imbuya Lete iGluten

© Dwight Sipler
Imbuya, (Amaranthus) lephindze yatiwe njenge pigweed, cockscomb ne hell’s curse esingisini, yatiwa kabili njengelikhula futsi nnjengesitjalo sakadzeni. Kahle akusiyo inhlamvunyekudla, kepha isebentiswa kanjalo. Imbuya lena isebentiselwa emacembe ayo, tinhlanyelo takhona letigcwele umsoco we protein, lentiwa flour lote igluten. Beyisebentiswa lokwa kadzeni ngabo 6 700 BC bantfu base Aztecs eSouth America. Tinhlobo letinyenti talelihlobo lembhidvo tivela etindzaweni letinyenti, kepha kwatiwa kutsi A. spinosus ne A. thunbergia tivela eAfrika.
Imbuya likhula lelikhula masinyane umnyaka wonkhe lelinelihlatsi letimbali. Liyatitsandza tindzawo letishisako, ingakhula ifike ku 2 m ngebudze. Kunetinhlobo tembuya letifika ku 60, letinye takhona tilinyelwa tinhlamvu takhona, bese kutsi letinye takhona tilinyelwa emacembe akhona ladliwako. Emacembe netinhlamvu takhona tiyadliwa, kepha sonkhe lesihlahla singadliwa tilwane letifuyiwe. Emacembe laluhlata ngemubala akababi kunalawa labovu ngemubala.
Inhlamvu yembuya ingakhula ite ifike ku 30 cm kuya ku 2 m ngebudze, timbali tiyahlukana, umbala wemacembe kepha umbala lobovu ngiwo lojwayelekile kuto tonkhe letihlahla. Inhlanyelo yincane kakhulu (inhlanyelo lengu 3 000 kuli gram) futsi imunyama ngemubala kepha ngalesinye sikhatsi iba khona leminye imibala.

Kukhulisa Imbuya

©Glenneis Kriel
Imbuya ayilinywa kakhulu eSouth Africa; ijwayelwe kuvunwa kakhulu esigangeni uma igcedza kuvela emuva kwetivula tekucala. Licwaningo lelentiwe ngembuya likhomba kutsi imbuya ingakhicita emacembe laphilile langafika ku 40 t/ha. Inhlamvu talena mbuya tiyashiyana kepha sivuno lesingu 1 ton/ha sibonowa njenjesivuno lesihle.
Imbuya ifuna kushisa lokungetulu kwa 25℃, etivuleni tasehlobo etindzaweni tase Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal kanye ne North West. Iyakhona kumelana nesomiso futsi ayititsandzi tindzawo letigcwele emanti kakhulu.
Imbuya ikahle ihlanyelwa isukela enhlanyelweni – ulime 270 kg/ha. Hlanyanisa lenhlanyelo nemhlabatsi kube ngu 1: 2 uhlanyele emalayinini, inhlanyelo ishobele nga 1 cm. emalayini ahlukane nga 1 m. Etindzaweni letincane, lungisa umhlabatsi ngekufaka umcuba losuka enkhomeni noma etinkhukhwini kube 1 m² nemhlabatsi.
Imbuya ikhula kancane kulamaviki ekucala futsi ingate indlulwe nalikhula. Kuvikela kahle likhula kungavikela kutsi tifo netilwanyana tingafiki nalelikhula. Umutsi wekucedza likhula njenge Neem ungasita.
Kujuba emacembe ekucala kungenta sivuno lesingu 1.0-1.5 kg/m², kucubeka ulime kungagcina kwente 30 kg/m² sivuno lesinga tsengiswa emaketse ngemunyaka. Kujuba kanyenti kukhuphula sivuno nebunandzi balena mbuya.
Sivuno siyakhuphuka nangekutsi umhlabatsi unjani, pH lehamba kubo 6.4 ikahle. iNitrogen imcoka ekukhuleni kwemacembe emuva kwekuvunwa. Balimi labalimela kutsengisa bangasebentisa umcuba longu 6 tons/ha lone Nitrogen lenyenti.

Kuvuna Imbuya

Lesitjalo lesi singavunwa ngetindlela letimbili – sonkhe lesihlahla singajubwa ku 20 cm ngekukhula noma singayekwa sikhulele kutsi kutovunwa emacembe kuphela ngesandla – kuvunwe ngetikhatsi letingafani.
Indlela lesheshako kukhula, imbuya ingavunwa kusukela emalangeni langu 30 – 55 emuva kwekuhlanyelwa. Inhlanyelo yembuya ivunwa lapho khona emacembe asashintja aba ngumbala lobutfubi. Kumcoka kuvuna emuva kwalapho bekubandza kakhulu khona noma emuva kwesomiso kwenta siciniseko kutsi letinhlamvu tomile. Inhloko yetinhlamvu tijubwa ngesandla tifakwe emabhakedeni. Tinhlamvu letivuniwe tiyomiswa eplastikini emtfuntini.
Emhlabeni wonkhe, India, China, Southeast Asia, Mexico, etintsabeni tase Andes nase United States ngulapho khona balima imbuya kutsi bayitsengise futsi balima ngemishina.

Translated by Thandokuhle Motha