| Abstract |
The witchweed Striga decimates maize, millet, sorghum, upland rice and Napier throughout sub-Sahara Africa. From the high plateau of East Africa where peasant farmers struggle to survive on tiny fields of maize, to the arid savannas of northern Nigeria where they rely on sorghum, African farmers today are fighting a losing battle against the Striga scourge. Striga is nevertheless more than just an unwanted weed growing in fields meant to produce food. In addition to draining photosynthate, minerals and water, Striga does most of its damage to its host through phytotoxins before the weed emerges from the soil. Striga is a parasite plant that survives by literally sucking nutrients out of the crops that African farmers use to feed their families. Striga exerts its toll on crops by inserting a sort of underground hypodermic into the roots of growing plants, siphoning off water and nutrients for its own growth. Above ground, the crop withers, and grain production is reduced. |
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