Parasitism by Striga hermonthica (Del) Benth is a severe constraint in maizeproduction in sub-Saharan Africa. Varying levels of tolerance to Striga attack havebeen identified and exploited in breeding programs of several crops. However, thelevel and stability of the tolerance is generally unacceptable in field-practice. Onlylimited exploration has been undertaken among the farmers’ landraces to...

The root hemiparasite witchweed (Striga spp.) is a devastating agricultural pest that causes losses of up to $1 billion US annually in sub-Saharan Africa. Development of resistant crops is one of the cost-effective ways to address this problem. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance are not well understood. To understand molecular events upon Striga spp. infection, we conducted...

Parasitism by Striga hermonthica (Del) Benth is a severe constraint in maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. Varying levels of tolerance to Striga attack have been identified and exploited in breeding programs of several crops. However, the level and stability of the tolerance is generally unacceptable in field-practice. Only limited exploration has been undertaken among the farmers’ landrace...

The seeds of parasitic plants of the genera Striga and Orobanche will only germinate after induction by a chemical signal exuded from the roots of their host. Up to now, several of these germination stimulants have been isolated and identified in the root exudates of a series of host plants of both Orobanche and Striga spp. In most cases, the compounds were shown to be isoprenoid and belong to ...

Horizontal gene transfer has been postulated to occur between crops to co-occurring parasitic plants, but empirical evidence has been lacking. We present evidence that an HGT event moved a nuclear monocot gene into the genome of the eudicot parasite witchweed (Striga hermonthica), which infects many grass species in Africa. Analysis of expressed sequence tags revealed that the genome of S. herm...

The parasitic weed Striga hermonthica Benth. (Orobanchaceae), commonly known as striga, is an increasingly important constraint to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), often resulting in total yield losses in maize (Zea mays L.) and substantial losses in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). This is further aggravated by soil degradation and drought conditions that are gradually beco...

The seeds of parasitic plants of the genera Striga and Orobanche will only germinate after induction by a chemical signal exuded from the roots of their host. Up to now, several of these germination stimulants have been isolated and identified in the root exudates of a series of host plants of both Orobanche and Striga spp. In most cases, the compounds were shown to be isoprenoid and belong to ...

Striga hermonthica is an obligate, root parasite, that limits cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. Successful control depends on eliminating its seed reserves in soil, thereby preventing parasitism. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of salinity on germination traits and seedling growth of sorghum (cultivar Wad Ahmed) and S. hermonthica. The experiments were conducted in...

Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth is a major constraint to sorghum productivity. Striga can cause small percentage loss in yield and, some situations, complete crop collapse. resistant sorghums be valuable component if resistance built into well-adapted and productive cultivars. Sorghum's potential output has been diminished due variety of abiotic biotic stresses. Abiotic stressors like as...

Strigolactones are plant hormones with multiple functions, including regulating various aspects of plant architecture such as shoot branching, facilitating the colonization of plant roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and acting as seed germination stimulants for certain parasitic plants of the family Orobanchaceae. The obligate parasitic species Phelipanche aegyptiaca and Striga hermonthica...