Striga: How to keep the killer weed off your farm

Striga, also known as witch weed, is a parasitic weed that negatively affects the productivity of crops like maize, sorghum, millet and upland rice in sub-Saharan Africa.

Statistics from the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) show that striga infests about 40 million hectares of smallholder farmlands in the region and causes yield losses ranging from 20 to 80 per cent and even total crop failure in severe infestation.

Experts say striga seeds are capable of remaining dormant and viable in the soil for up to 20 years.

An agronomist, Mr. Daniel Idoko, told Daily Trust in an interview that the weed survived by siphoning water and nutrients from the crops for its own growth, thereby causing severe damage to the host crop before emerging from the soil by producing phytotoxins which were very harmful to the crops.

“When the weed gets attached to the host roots, it deprives the crop of nutrients and water, resulting in ‘witch’ appearance of the crop which becomes stunted and withered,” he said.

The expert further disclosed that during every planting season, some of the dormant seeds were stimulated by crop exudates, germinate and infest the host crop while reproducing and increasing the witch weed seeds in the soil thereby aggravating the problem.

The agronomist advised farmers to use integrated pest management approach in handling the killer weed in time to avoid losses.

He also urged farmers that were confused on how to handle the witch weed to consult experts and experienced farmers.

Meanwhile, our reporter gathered from an AATF document that the foundation was collaborating in a public/ private sector partnership project to promote technological intervention for the control of striga in maize in Africa.