The nature of interrelationships between soil pasteurisation, and increased soil N content, on the severity of Striga hermonthica infection in maize was studied in pot experiments in the screen-house. An initial experiment revealed that there was no significant difference in amount of S. hermonthica infection in maize grown in potted soil collected from Bida (98050N, 68010E) and Ibadan (78170N,...

striga hermonthica is a parasitic weed which largely constrains maize and sorghum production in western kenya. the weed mostly invades small scale farms and depending on severity, it may cause damage ranging from 10% to complete crop failure thereby aggravating the food insecurity in that region. this study aimed at evaluating fungal isolates as possible biocontrol agents against the weed. fung...

Lepidopteran stemborers and parasitic weeds in the genus Striga are major constraints to efficient production of cereals, the most important staple food crops in Africa. Smallholder farmers are resource constrained and unable to afford expensive chemicals for crop protection. Development of a push-pull approach for integrated pest and weed management is reviewed here. Appropriate plants were di...

Striga hermonthica is a severe problem in the cereal growing regions of Northern Ethiopia. Nineteen Striga population samples were evaluated for their virulence against two resistant sorghum varieties currently being promoted for use in the area using an in vitro system. Nine out of the 19 populations tested were able to attack the resistant sorghum varieties (SRN 39 and P-9401). Most of the hi...

Plants from the genus Desmodium, in particular D. uncinatum, are used on sub-Saharan small-holder farms as intercrops to inhibit parasitism of cereal crops by Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica via an allelopathic mechanism. The search for Desmodium species which are adapted to more arid conditions, and which show resilience to increased drought stress, previously identified D. intortum, D....

Strigolactones are a class of plant hormones that inhibit axillary bud outgrowth and are released from plant roots to act as a rhizosphere communication signal. The Orobanchaceae parasitic plant Striga hermonthica perceives strigolactone as its germination signal, indicating host presence. After germination, the Striga plant parasitises the host plant and suppresses host growth by draining phot...

Three isoflavanones, 5,7,2',4'-tetrahydroxy-6-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)isoflavanone (1), 4",5"-dihydro-5,2',4'-trihydroxy-5"-isopropenylfurano-(2",3";7,6)-isoflavanone (2) and 4",5"-dihydro-2'-methoxy-5,4'-dihydroxy-5"-isopropenylfurano-(2",3";7,6)-isoflavanone (3) and a previously known isoflavone 5,7,4'-trihydroxyisoflavone [genistein (4)] were isolated and characterised spectroscopically from the...

striga hermonthica is a noxious, obligate hemi-parasite of cereal grasses that causes severe grain yield loss in susceptible maize cultivars in africa. the development of host plant resistance is one of the most practical stiga control strategies. in this study experiments on 36 maize inbred lines were conducted in pots and in field during the two rainy seasons of 2009 at kibos and alupe statio...

The inhibitory effect of propiconazole on strigolactone (SL) production and Striga hermonthica emergence were evaluated using rice plants. A significant reduction in SL levels was detected root exudates after treated with different doses propiconazole. Propiconazole induced second tiller bud outgrowth seedlings. In accordance the results 4-deoxyorobanchol exudates, propiconazole-treated attenua...