Combining host plant defence with targeted nutrition: key to durable control of hemiparasitic Striga in cereals in sub‐Saharan Africa?

What is it about?

Cereal crops grown in sub-Saharan Africa, like maize, rice and sorghum, are often infected by Striga, a parasitic plant that attaches to the cereal host by its roots. Striga infection causes dramatic grain yield losses and farmers growing these cereal crops are therefore in need of solutions against this pest. In this review article, we present the current knowledge on host plant resistance and tolerance against Striga and whether and how this can be strengthened by targeted fertilizer applications to reduce infection and avoid crop losses.

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