In the Open Access publication “Host interactions, pathology, economic impacts and management of the facultative parasitic weed Rhamphicarpa fistulosa” we review, discuss and interpret the past 10 years of research conducted on rice vampireweed, a fascinating but destructive parasitic plant:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2024.106688This review starts where the previous review, conducted in 2014, finished: https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.12129  Since that previous review we’ve […]

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 […]

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 […]

Plants People Planet, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10491 Jonne Rodenburg & Lammert Bastiaans   Parasitic weeds in African rice systems affect household-level food security and income generation in Africa. Most affected farmers are smallholders with limited weed management capacities, crop production infrastructure and resources. The facultative parasite Rhamphicarpa fistulosa (rice vampireweed) has become a major problem in rainfed lowland rice whereas the […]

In this study, a collaboration between Natural Resources Institute & Wageningen University & Research – Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, we demonstrate that the facultative parasitic weed Rhamphicarpa fistulosa benefits from fertiliser application (but only) when it parasitises on a host, both in terms of biomass and in terms of reproductive output (seeds). This contrasts […]

This book brings together for the first time in a single volume, the ecology, biology, damage, and control of all groups of African parasitic plants including both the relatively few parasites introduced to the continent as well as those native parasites which have spread from within Africa. This covers the well-known witchweeds and broomrapes but […]

Infestation by the parasitic weed Striga is a major cause of cereal crop production losses on smallholder farms in Africa. Essential plant nutrients play an important indirect role in parasite seed germination, the first prerequisite for successful parasitism. Here, we demonstrate that increasing the nutrient availability for the host plant can also impede Striga development […]

Edited by Maurizio Vurro, David Chikoye and Jonne Rodenburg. At the occasion of this year’s 16th World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP) in Nairobi (from 3-8 July, 2022), Weed Research is launching a Special Issue dedicated to the fascinating world of parasitic weeds. Submissions focusing on all aspects -from biology, physiology and ecology to management- […]

In a new paper, published in Journal of Plant Physiology (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153438) we show that leaf photosynthesis and a range of associated parameters is heavily impacted in rice plants when they are infected by the facultative parasitic weed Rhamphicarpa fistulosa. Previously we found that this parasite starts benefiting from its host at around 6 weeks after […]

Open Access, Research Review, New Phytologist,  https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17271 Authors: Immaculate M. Mwangangi, Lucie Büchi, Stephan M. Haefele, Lammert Bastiaans, Steven Runo & Jonne Rodenburg In this review paper we explore the potential of improved plant nutrition to fortify the expression of plant inherent resistance and tolerance against Striga in cereals. Beyond reviewing advances in parasitic plant research, we assess relevant […]

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 […]

Upland rice farmers in Africa may reduce soil erosion and drudgery of soil tillage following Conservation Agriculture, combining no-till with legume cover crops. It mitigates Striga asiatica infestation and damage, but complementary technologies are required to raise crop yields. Read the Open Access publications: Mixed outcomes from conservation practices on soils and Striga-affected yields of […]

A new project entitled “Striga Smart Sorghum Solutions for Smallholders in East Africa” funded through a GCRF – Royal Society Society, International Collaboration award, started in December 2019. This is a collaboration between Dr Jonne Rodenburg of NRI, University of Greenwich (UK) and Dr Steven Runo of Kenyatta University (Kenya). The project aims to combine […]