Technical and economic evaluation of some Striga control packages in maize in the Nigerian Guinea Savanna

Aliyu, L.; Lagoke, S. T. O.; Carsky, R. J.; Kling, J. G.; Omotayo, OR; Shebayan, J.Y.

doi:10.1016/s0261-2194(03)00141-8

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Almost all the farmers viewed Striga as a challenge to crop production. Diversified techniques have been developed by agriculturists to limit Striga damage, but farmers have not been convinced of their efficacy (Aliyu et al . 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2003). The parasite infects cereal crops, such as sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor [L.]), pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum [L.]), finger millet ( Eleusine coracana [L.] Gaertn), maize ( Zea mays [L.]), and upland rice (both Oryza glaberrima [Steudel] and O. sativa [L.]), on which Africans depend for food in >25 countries (Parker 2009), affecting ∼300 million persons (Aliyu et al . 2004; Ejeta 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Benth (hereafter, referred to as "Striga"), an obligate root hemiparasite, poses a serious threat to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. From the east to the west of Africa, farmers have been fighting a losing battle against the Striga pandemic (Kanampiu et al 2003 (Parker 2009), affecting 300 million persons (Aliyu et al 2004;Ejeta 2007).The yield losses have been estimated at 10 million t of grain, worth $US7 billion (Khan et al 2007;Venne et al 2009). In Kenya, Striga infects~212 000 ha (Vanlauwe et al 2008), causing an annual crop loss of $US40.8 million (Gethi et al 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Farmers' perspectives on the biotic constraint of Striga hermonthica and its control in western Kenya

Atera

Itoh

Azuma

et al. 2012

Weed Biology and Management

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Witchweed, Striga hermonthica (hereafter, referred to as “Striga”), is a major biotic constraint to cereal production in sub‐Saharan Africa. The parasitic plant is a socioeconomic problem that has forced some resource‐poor farmers to abandon their farms due to high infestation. This study was designed in order to elucidate farmers' perceptions of Striga control measures and to determine their potential adoption in two villages in western Kenya. Participatory rural appraisals and individual interviews were conducted in 2009 and 2010 in a sample of 128 and 120 households in Kaura and Kogweno‐Oriang villages in Homabay and Rachuonyo districts, respectively. The results revealed that crop production was the main occupation in most households. The farmers identified Striga as one of the major constraints to maize, sorghum, and finger millet production. According to the farmers, the most popular control measures were hand‐pulling, crop rotation, and intercropping, even though rotational systems might need a longer timeframe to reduce the soil seed bank of Striga. Although the level of Striga infestation and damage were increasing in the farmers' fields, the adoption of the control options was limited. The reason for the low adoption level of the control methods by the farmers is because they are “too risky” as there is no guarantee of a direct pay‐off in increased crop yield. Farmer‐led evaluation and adaptation of the various Striga control technologies in real‐life situations will facilitate the choice of appropriate options and facilitate their uptake.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Farmers' perspectives on the biotic constraint of Striga hermonthica and its control in western Kenya

Atera

Itoh

Azuma

et al. 2012

Weed Biology and Management

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“…tillage, sowing, weeding, harvesting, grazing, etc.). This indicates that there is an urgent need for farmers to share and build on their knowledge about the different methods of S. asiatica control and to combine strategies more effectively, with the goal of providing additional benefits to the soil system (Aliyu et al, 2004). The chances of S. asiatica eradication would also increase if farmers could work together and cooperate, perhaps under the auspices of community-based projects to facilitate farmer-to-farmer learning, so that the spread of the parasite's seeds might be reduced.…”

Section: Towards the More Effective Management Of S Asiatica In Swazmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning to reduce degradation on Swaziland's arable land: enhancing understandings of Striga asiatica

2006

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Maize production in Swaziland's middleveld is being increasingly threatened by the Striga asiatica weed (also called witchweed). It parasitises the maize crop to provide itself with water and nutrients, preventing the crop from growing properly. In this paper we examine the impacts of this bio-indicator of land degradation on rural livelihoods, investigating how farmers and policy makers are responding to the problem. Our results show that farmers' ability to control weed infestations is determined by a number of environmental, social and political-economic drivers and that national policies to reduce land degradation offer little assistance. Low-technology methods employed by farmers are an important step in alleviating the problem, but farmers' understandings of why these methods work are limited and they often neglect to combine control strategies. At the local level, there is a need to support farmer-to-farmer learning and education programmes to broaden and deepen farmer knowledge about S. asiatica. At the national level a more supportive policy context is necessary that recognises weeds as an indicator of a more serious overall land degradation problem, and which uses broader criteria to determine what constitutes land degradation. Without this attention, the threat from S. asiatica could increase in both area and intensity, with profound effects on both food security and the sustainability of rural livelihoods.

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“…It decimates maize which is the main staple food crop for close to 300 million people in Africa (Aliyu et al, 2004;Ejeta, 2007) with yield loss estimated at 10 million tons grain worth $ US 7 billion (Khan et al, 2001;Venne et al, 2009). In Kenya, the parasite is reported to be infecting about 217,000 ha -1 , causing annual crop loss of US $53 million (Woomer & Savala, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth on Yield and Yield Components of Maize (Zea mays L.) Hybrids in Western Kenya

Mbogo¹,

Dida²,

Owuor³

2016

JAS

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Striga hermonthica (Striga) weed is widespread in Kenya, where it causes significant cereal crop losses, particularly when susceptible varieties are grown. The use of maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes that support reduced Striga hermonthica emergence can form an important basis for developing resistant cultivars. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of diverse maize hybrids to Striga weed infestation and to identify high yielding and stable hybrids. Six experimental maize hybrids and three commercial hybrid checks (DK8031, PhB3253 and H513) were evaluated under Striga and Striga free conditions at Nyahera and Maseno in western Kenya in 2011 and 2012 growing seasons. The data collected included grain yields and other yield components; emerged Striga counts and Striga damage rating (on a scale of 1-5) at 8 and 10 weeks after planting (WAP). Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in grain yield and yield components; emerged Striga counts and Striga damage syndrome in both years. Negative correlation (r) was observed between emerged Striga and yield as well as between Striga damage ratings and yield. Maseno experimental hybrids produced much better grain yields and were more stable compared to commercial varieties under Striga infestation and in Striga free fields. Deployment of the tolerant/resistant high yielding well adapted hybrids coupled with other management options such as rotation with legumes and cultural practices could possibly help in depletion of Striga seed bank in the soils in western Kenya. EH12 and EH14 maize hybrids were formally released for commercialization in the Striga endemic areas of western Kenya.

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Technical and economic evaluation of some Striga control packages in maize in the Nigerian Guinea Savanna

Cited by 10 publications

References 2 publications

Farmers' perspectives on the biotic constraint of Striga hermonthica and its control in western Kenya

Farmers' perspectives on the biotic constraint of Striga hermonthica and its control in western Kenya

Learning to reduce degradation on Swaziland's arable land: enhancing understandings of Striga asiatica

Effect of Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth on Yield and Yield Components of Maize (Zea mays L.) Hybrids in Western Kenya

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