Scientists Develop Fast-Growing, Striga-resistant Sorghum
June 24, 2011| |
Researchers from the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) developed Striga-resistant sorghum, which can also mature within two months. The study was conducted under the project "Fighting Striga: Resistance genes deployed to boost sorghum productivity". The objective of the study was to use modern biotechnology techniques to identify traits for Striga-resistant sorghum. They were able to develop 50 sorghum lines that can produce 3.6 tonnes of grain per hectare. Though the current sorghum varieties can yield more grains than the new lines, they are highly susceptible to Striga which can lead to yield losses of up to 100 percent.
"There is a potential of raising sorghum production to 61.2 million tonnes on 17 million hectares of farmland that are threatened due to Striga infestation. The 300 million people in Africa who depend on sorghum will attain food security and have better lives," said Dr. Charles Mugoya, head of ASARECA's Agro-Biodiversity and Biotechnology Programme (Agrobio).
Visit http://allafrica.com/stories/201106221217.html for the rest of the story.
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