Harnessing plant resistance against Striga spp. parasitism in major cereal crops for enhanced crop production and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review

Abstract

Given their long-lasting seed viability, 15–20-year lifespan and their high seed production levels, a significant impact of parasitic plant Striga spp. on African food production is inevitable. Over the last decades, climate change has increasingly favoured the adaptability, spread and virulence of major Striga species, S. hermonthica and S. asiatica, across arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These parasitic weeds are causing important yield losses on several staple food crops and endangering food and nutritional security in many SSA countries. Losses caused by Striga spp. are amplified by low soil fertility and recurrent droughts. The impact of Striga parasitism has been characterized through different phenotypic and genotypic traits assessment of their host plants. Among all control strategies, host-plant resistance remains the most pro-poor, easy-to-adopt, sustainable and eco-friendly control strategy against Striga parasitism. This review highlights the impact of Striga parasitism on food security in SSA and reports recent results related to the genetic basis of different agronomic, pheno-physiological and biochemical traits associated with the resistance to Striga in major African cereal food crops.

A potential role of heat‐moisture couplings in the range expansion of Striga asiatica

“…These parasitic plants have particularly severe effects on staple crops such as rice, maize (Nyakurwa et al., 2018 ), sorghum (Gurney et al., 2002 ), finger millet (Midega et al., 2010 ), and pearl millet (Wilson et al., 2004 ). This parasitism leads to significant yield reductions, exacerbating food insecurity issues (Makaza et al., 2023 ; Rodenburg et al., 2016 ). Striga hermonthica , commonly known as purple witchweed, thrives in tropical savannah conditions, characterized by warm temperatures and rainfall.…”