Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-wq484 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T10:23:39.143Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of Corn (Zea mays) Genotypes Which Vary in Maturity Length on Striga hermonthica Parasitism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Joel K. Ransom  and
George D. Odhiambo
Joel K. Ransom
Affiliation:
CIMMYT, P.O. Box 25171
George D. Odhiambo
Affiliation:
Kenya Agric Res. Inst., P.O. Box 1221 Kisumu. Kenya
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Corn (maize) genotypes which varied in days to maturity were evaluated for level of Striga hermonthica parasitism in western Kenya during three seasons. Fifteen genotypes, with a wide range in days to maturity, were grown in fields heavily infested with S. hermonthica. Early and late-season Striga numbers and corn grain yield were used to evaluate Striga parasitism. There was considerable variation in the timing and amount of Striga attachment among seasons. Days to silking and late-season Striga numbers were correlated (P ≤ 0.05) in all experiments although only weakly in one of the experiments. Grain yield was negatively correlated with days to silking in two of three experiments as were yield and early season Striga numbers. Although earlier-flowering genotypes consistently supported less Striga, they did not always yield more than the later-maturing genotypes due to confounding effects of yield potential and adaptation. There was considerable variation in Striga parasitism among genotypes within maturity groups, and the relative response of genotypes varied between seasons. These data suggest that in some seasons early maturing genotypes have potential to reduce Striga attack in heavily infested areas and yield more than later-maturing genotypes.

Keywords

Corn, Zea mays LStriga hermonthica (Del.) Benth.Maizeresistance breeding
Type
Research
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , March 1995 , pp. 63 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © 1995 by the Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

1. Anaso, A.B. 1990. Evaluating sorghum varieties for resistance to witch weed (Striga hermonthica) in Nigerian Guinea Savanna. Appl. Agric. Res. 5:293–297.Google Scholar
2. Cherif-Ari, O., Housley, T. L., and Ejeta, G. 1990. Sorghum root density and the potential for avoiding Striga parasitism. Plant and Soil 121:67–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Jaetzold, R. and Schmidt, H. 1982. Farm Management Handbook of Kenya, Western Kenya. Vol. IIA. p. 56. Ministry of Agriculture, Nairobi.Google Scholar
4. Johnson, E. C., Fischer, K. S., Edmeades, G. O., and Palmer, A.F.E. 1986. Recurrent selection for reduced plant height in lowland tropical maize. Crop Sci. 26:253–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Kim, S. K., Efron, Y., Khardr, F., Fajemisin, J., and Lee, M. H. 1987. Registration of 16 maize-streak virus resistant tropical maize parental inbred lines. Crop Sci. 27:824–825.Google Scholar
6. Langston, M., English, T., and Eplee, R. 1991. Herbicides for control of Striga asiatica in the U.S.A. p. 400–406 in Ransom, J. K., Musselman, L. J., Worsham, A. D., and Parker, C., eds. Proc. 5th Int. Symp. of Parasitic Weeds. CIMMYT, Nairobi.Google Scholar
7. Olivier, A. and Leroux, G. D. 1992. Root development and production of a witchweed (Striga spp.) germination stimulant in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) cultivars. Weed Sci. 40:542–545.Google Scholar
8. Parker, C. 1991. Protection of crops against parasitic weeds. Crop Prot. 10:6–22.Google Scholar
9. Ramaiah, K. V. 1986. Breeding cereal grains for resistance to witchweed. p. 227–242 in Musselman, L. J., ed. Parasitic Weeds in Agriculture. I. Striga . CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.Google Scholar
10. Ransom, J. K., Eplee, R. E., and Langston, M. A. 1990. Genetic variability for resistance to Striga asiatica in maize. Cereal Res. Commun. 18:329–333.Google Scholar
11. Ransom, J. K. and Odhiambo, G. 1992. Development of S. hermonthica on maize and sorghum in Western Kenya. p. 430–433 in Richardson, R. G., ed. Proc. First Int. Weed Control Congr. Vol. 2. Weed Sci. Soc., Victoria, Melbourne.Google Scholar
12. Sauerborn, J. 1991. The economic importance of the phytoparasites Orobanche and Striga . p. 137–143 in Ransom, J. K., Musselman, L. J., Worsham, A. D., and Parker, C., eds. Proc. 5th Int. Symp. Parasitic Weeds. CIMMYT, Nairobi.Google Scholar
13. Worsham, A. D. and Egley, G. H. 1990. Physiology of witchweed seed dormancy and germination. p. 11–26 in Sands, P. F., Eplee, R. E., and Westbrooks, R. G., eds. Witchweed Research and Control in the United States. Weed Science Society of America, Champaign, IL.Google Scholar