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Striga aspera (Willd.) Benth. (Orobanchaceae) has received little research attention compared with its close relative, Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. The primary focus of this study was to provide information the biology and habitat characteristics of S. aspera in Nigeria in relation to S. hermonthica. The phenologies of both species were studied...
Citations
... Benth (Dugje, Kamara, and Omoigui 2006;Rodenburg et al. 2016). Amongst these species, S. hermonthica remains the fast-spreading in Nigeria (Aigbokhan 2015) -being one of the obligate root parasites that causes severe yield losses in cereals in sub-Saharan Africa (Mandumbu et al. 2019) and currently reported in about 32 countries of Africa (Rodenburg et al. 2016). ...
... Striga hermonthica has caused severe devastation to upland rice ecology in the savanna ecological zones of Nigeria (Emechebe 1991;Lagoke et al. 1993). The infestation of S. hermonthica in upland rice fields began when cultivation of susceptible rice cultivars gained expansion into Striga endemic areas of the savanna agro-ecology Ndahi 2003a, 2003b;Aigbokhan 2015). The rapid spread of S. hermonthica into upland rice fields in the guinea savanna of Nigeria may also have been prompted by the continued rotation of upland rice with S. hermonthica susceptible host cereals, such as pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br), maize (Zea mays L.), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) (Johnson et al. 1997;Isah and Lagoke 2013;Ibrahim et al. 2014). ...
... Nevertheless, extension services on ISC remain unsatisfactory in Nigeria considering the increased virulence of S. hermonthica (Aigbokhan 2015;Aliyu et al. 2023). For instance, only 35% of farmers in cereal-producing areas of Benue and Nasarawa States have come in contact with an extension agent on the ISC subject (Ibrahim et al. 2014). ...
Striga hermonthica is fast spreading in the Nigerian savanna and is predicted to encroach into the rainforest part of the country soon. S. hermonthica seedbanks in savanna soils have continued to rise due to poor agronomic practices by smallholder farmers. Considering differences in soil, climate, and agronomic practices within the savanna endemic agroecology, the severity of the infestation of S. hermonthica has varied from one location to another. Hence, there is a need to model a site-specific management approach for S. hermonthica in Nigeria. This review aims to understand the state-of-the-art management of S. hermonthica in Nigeria’s upland rice fields and further harmonize potential management approaches. Based on studies conducted in Nigeria, reducing S. hermonthica parasitism over a long-term period in the Savanna ecology of Nigeria implies the rotation of upland rice with trap crops, and enhancement of nitrogen fertility in farmers’ fields, combined with the use of seed-treated resistant or tolerant cultivars. In practical terms, farmer’s-research engagement in the long term is pertinent to reduce the severity of S. hermonthica in threatened areas.
