In:
Outlook on Agriculture, SAGE Publications, Vol. 37, No. 4 ( 2008-12), p. 277-282
Abstract:
Striga asiatica and S. hermonthica are widespread plant parasites of cereals in Sub-Saharan Africa. In maize cropland alone, Striga has infested about 2.4 million ha, resulting in yield loss of 1.6 million tons per year, valued at US$383 million. Because the parasite attacks below ground, conventional weeding is largely ineffective. Researchers have been slow to develop other Striga control practices useful to small-scale African farmers. Two recent technical breakthroughs, however, offer opportunities for better Striga management. First, herbicide-resistant maize lines provide several weeks' chemical protection from infection, resulting in over one ton per ha yield improvement and reducing Striga expression by 80%. Second, many legumes induce Striga seed to germinate and die in the absence of susceptible host roots, a characteristic usefully employed in cereal–legume intercropping and rotation. The challenge is to translate these technical achievements into products and technologies available to and adopted by Africa's poor farmers.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0030-7270
,
2043-6866
DOI:
10.5367/000000008787167790
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2008
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2034986-5
