Screening tropical and sub‑tropical maize germplasm for resistance to Striga hermonthica and S. asiatica and yield‑related traits

Emeline Dossa •
Figure 2_Dossa et al 2023-min-1

Emeline N. Dossa · Hussein Shimelis · Admire I. T. Shayanowako · Mark D. Laing https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-024-03309-2 Our study identifies tropical and sub-tropical maize varieties with dual resistance to Striga asiatica and S. hermonthica, prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This discovery is instrumental in breeding new maize cultivars with stable Striga resistance and enhanced grain yield, […]

New paper: “Macronutrient application rescues performance of tolerant sorghum genotypes when infected by the parasitic plant striga”

Jonne Rodenburg •
IPPS-newsRodenburg

https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae031 (Open Access) In this study we demonstrate that nutrient availability decreases striga infection levels across host plant genotypes varying in striga tolerance levels. Macronutrients seem to be the main drivers of this observed reduction in striga infection. They improve the photosynthesis rates of striga infected sensitive genotype and even restore those of tolerant sorghum […]

Travel grants awarded – 17th World Congress on Parasitic Plants, 3–7 June 2024, Nara, Japan, .

IPPS Admin •

The IPPS and the WCPP2024 local organizing committee have awarded six IPPS fellowships to: The IPPS fellowship consists of a 1,000 Euro IPPS contribution to travel costs and WCPP funded waiver of the registration fee. The fellowship is intended for early carrier scientists for applicants coming from low- and middle-income countries. The WCPPs are a […]

IPPS Executive Committee Election 2024

IPPS Admin •

We are delighted to announce the commencement of the nomination process for the 2024 Executive Committee (EC) election. This is an exceptional opportunity for committed members like yourself to actively shape the future trajectory and success of our organization. In 2024, the following positions within the IPPS Executive Committee will conclude their term of service: […]

Phytotoxic fungal secondary metabolites as herbicides

Ana Bendejacq-Seychelles •
Graphical abstract

Abstract : Among the alternatives to synthetic plant protection products, biocontrol appears as a promising method. This review reports on the diversity of fungal secondary metabolites phytotoxic to weeds and on the approach generally used to extract, characterize, identify and exploit them for weed management. The 183 phytotoxic fungal secondary metabolites discussed in this review […]

Promising results of Suicidal Germination Technology against Striga in Field Trials in Sorghum in Tanzania

Muhammad Jamil •
Tanzania field visit

Recently we tested liquid formulation of two promising suicidal agents MP3 and Nijmegen-1 in Highly Striga infested famers field in Tanzania in collaboration with Dr Dennis Tippe of TARI. The results looks very promising and we observed 50-70% reduction in Striga emergence. The results indicate future scope and hope to reduce Striga infestation in African […]

It’s not witchcraft: the role of abscisic acid for Striga germination and conditioning

Muhammad Jamil •
cover page

  For the highlighted publication, Muhammad Jamil, Jian You (Eric) Wang, Yagiz Alagoz and colleagues, under the lead of Salim Al-Babili, addressed the question of how Striga hermonthica seed dormancy and germination are correlated with endogenous ABA levels (Jamil et al., 2024). The Plant Journal Editor choice: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tpj.16668  […]

Farmer-instruction video on Striga management in sorghum

Jonne Rodenburg •
Screenshot 2024-02-24 at 16.47.22

More Sorghum, Less Striga? Using resistant cultivars and improved crop nutrition. Striga is a parasitic weed causing severe yield losses to sorghum and other cereal crops in sub-Saharan Africa. This 17-minute farmer-instruction video emphasises the need for an integrated management approach to address that problem. The video shows examples of Striga-resistant sorghum cultivars and suggests […]

Reminder: application open for travel grants for the 17th World Congress on Parasitic Plants, 3–7 June 2024, Nara, Japan. Deadline 29 February.

IPPS Admin •

The IPPS and the WCPP2024 local organizing committee offer two types of travel grants for outstanding PhD students and early-career researchers. The WCPPs are a series of biennial meetings with a long tradition, providing opportunities to exchange information and discuss new discoveries among experts of parasitic plants. WCPP17 will cover a wide range of topics […]