Three Striga Resistant Cowpea Varieties Available for Africa
January 18, 2008| |
Striga (S. gesneroides), a plant parasitic weed or witchweed is the cause of more than 40% loss in annual cowpea yield in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria for example cowpea yield was reduced annually from 2-3 tonnes to 0.37 tonnes per hectare, with a total loss of $200 million annually in sub-Saharan Africa. A three-year study by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) resulted in the development of three new cowpea varieties with genetic resistance to Striga.
The research supported by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) of The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA is a longstanding effort to alleviate infestations of cowpea by the parasite. The three new cowpea varieties and those which are under development will benefit the sub-Saharan countries Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, and Cameroun.
For details of the press release, see: http://www.iita.org/cms/details/news_details.aspx?articleid=1404&zoneid=81
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