Strategies to stop Striga
Striga*,
also known as witchweed, is a parasitic weed that plagues cereal crops
including maize, millets, sorghum and upland rice, in the semi-arid areas
of sub-Saharan Africa. This weed may be beautiful but it is deadly; unlike
other weeds, which compete for water and nutrients Striga, as
a root parasite, literally sucks the life out of the crop on which it
germinates. In doing so, growth is stunted and yields are greatly reduced.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the parasite causes
annual losses in excess of US$7 billion, adversely affecting over 100
million African people in West Africa alone. In some areas, the problem
of Striga is so bad that farmers have been forced to abandon
their land. Over the years, finding ways of controlling Striga
has been the aim of many research programmes, but success has been limited.
With Striga affecting so many crops, research has taken a tactical
turn to stop this weed from spreading.
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In an integrated Striga management programme in Nigeria by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), one important part of the strategy is to reduce Striga damage by limiting dispersal of seed... |
Not all varieties of cereals are affected by Striga. Some have an inherent resistance to the parasite by exhibiting tolerance to the weed... |
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Perhaps the greatest concern with Striga is not just how many crop species it already affects, but its potential to widen its host range... |
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* Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica
Previous
articles on Striga: |
| 1st January 2004 |
