Evaluation of ecologies and severity of Striga weed on rice in sub-Saharan Africa
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Publication Date
2011Author
Evans A Atera, Kazuyuki Itoh, John C Onyango
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Show full item recordAbstract/ Overview
Striga spp. is renowned for causing great losses in cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. Crop
competitiveness with parasitic weeds such as Striga is an important criterion for selection in an
initiative to produce and release rice cultivars to farmers that are able to give high and stable
yields under low-input conditions. The symptoms of Striga infected rice plants are chlorosis,
wilting and stunted growth. Rice yield is reported to be reduced by more than 50% in areas that
are infested by the weed. In addition, areas that are heavily infested have been abandoned and
rendered unfit for crop production. Notable advances in Striga weed control technology have
been made, yet the weed continues to be a major cause of low agricultural production. This is an
indication of poor linkage between research institutions and agricultural extension which is a
bottleneck to research findings to benefit farmers.
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- Department of Botany [229]