Striga species are estimated to infest twenty one million hectares in Africa with a potential to a further twenty three million hectares. Striga hermontheca and striga asiatica are root parasites which constraint production of maize, sorghum and millets in Sub-Sahara Africa. Striga attacks the host crop shortly after germination. After attachment on the root of the host it draws its water and nutrient requirements from the host. This leads to yield losses ranging from 30-50%. Most tropical maize cultivars grown in Africa are highly susceptible to striga. The use of varieties tolerant and resistant to striga has been recommended as the most practical approach to controlling striga for the resource poor small holder farmers. Resistance studies are based on count of the emerged parasite plants. Twenty-five hybrids and nine parental inbred lines were evaluated. Striga count was taken twice, at flowering and two weeks after. Analysis of variance of grain yield and agronomic characters was carried out using AGROBASE. Significant difference were observed among the inbred lines and the hybrids. Genetic variability for striga resistance/tolerance in maize was confirmed in terms of striga numbers and yield reduction.

English

0103|AL Maize Program|R98-99CIMPU|AGRIS 0102|AJ|3

Jose Juan Caballero

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection