Striga weed, also called witchweed, reduces yields and destroys entire harvests by attaching itself to the roots of plants like maize and cowpeas, sucking out nutrients.

The weed spreads rapidly and is difficult to control as each plant produces up to half a million seeds that can remain dormant in the soil for decades.

The four-year project will focus on improving and expanding access to methods of control, while supporting research on the most effective means of controlling the weed.

'The project aims to assist in the delivery of Striga-resistant maize and legume seeds while raising farmers' awareness of the technologies,' said Prasanna Boddupalli, director of the global maize programme at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, based in Nairobi.

Among the approaches that will be evaluated before being rolled out include Striga-resistant crop varieties, intercropping with specific forage legumes that inhibit the germination of the weed, using herbicide-coated seeds and use of biological control methods.

After a two-year evaluation period, the project will scale up the most effective approaches to farmers, seed companies, community-based organisations, extension workers, policy makers, and researchers.

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