Published in Field Crop Research, in the September 2020 issue:
In a 4-year field experiment in southern Tanzania, different fertilisers were tested to investigate whether they (1) suppress the obligate parasitic weed Striga asiatica and the facultative parasitic weed Rhamphicarpa fistulosa, and (2) favour rainfed rice yields under parasitic weed infestation. We observed that: (1) fertilisers have variable and differential effects on parasitic weeds in the field as the obligate parasite Striga asiatica is moderately reduced by fertilisers, while the facultative parasite Rhamphicarpa fistulosa is mostly stimulated by fertilisers. We also observed that rice-yield benefits from fertiliser can be undermined by parasitic weeds and therefore we propose that fertilisers should be combined with additional parasitic weed control measures.
The full paper can be found under this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429019316028