Striga
is an important biotic factor limiting maize production in sub-Saharan Africa and can cause yield losses as high as 100%. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) approaches hold a great potential for improving
Striga
resistance but requires identification and use of markers associated with
Striga
resistance for adequate genetic gains from selection. However, there is no report on the discovery of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to
Striga
in maize under artificial field infestation. In the present study, 198 BC
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families obtained from a cross involving TZEEI 29 (
Striga
resistant inbred line) and TZEEI 23 (
Striga
susceptible inbred line) plus the two parental lines were screened under artificial
Striga-
infested conditions at two
Striga
-endemic locations in Nigeria in 2018, to identify QTL associated with
Striga
resistance indicator traits, including grain yield, ears per plant,
Striga
damage and number of emerged
Striga
plants. Genetic map was constructed using 1,386 DArTseq markers distributed across the 10 maize chromosomes, covering 2076 cM of the total genome with a mean spacing of 0.11 cM between the markers. Using composite interval mapping (CIM), fourteen QTL were identified for key
Striga
resistance/tolerance indicator traits: 3 QTL for grain yield, 4 for ears per plant and 7 for
Striga
damage at 10 weeks after planting (WAP), across environments. Putative candidate genes which encode major transcription factor families WRKY, bHLH, AP2-EREBPs, MYB, and bZIP involved in plant defense signaling were detected for
Striga
resistance/tolerance indicator traits. The QTL detected in the present study would be useful for rapid transfer of
Striga
resistance/tolerance genes into
Striga
susceptible but high yielding maize genotypes using MAS approaches after validation. Further studies on validation of the QTL in different genetic backgrounds and in different environments would help verify their reproducibility and effective use in breeding for
Striga
resistance/tolerance.