African Woman and Child Feature Service

 Scientists at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have developed new Striga weed resistant seeds that may just result in the doubling of maize yields in many African countries.

 The unveiling of the maize seed, which is coated with herbicide, follows a 12 year study that looked into its viability.

 According to Dr. Fred Kanampiu an agronomist with CIMMYT, farmers will now plant seeds that are coated with herbicide - Imazapyr. 

When the maize seeds germinate, striga weed that grows alongside the maize plant also sprouts up, taking in the nutrients and water that are mixed with the herbicide. This action kills it.

 He says that the herbicide being manufactured by a German chemical firm BASF will be sold to the seed companies, commercializing the seeds neighbouring countries and West Africa where Striga is a major problem. The new move is expected to increase crop yields in the sub Saharan Africa region.

 Striga, which damages crops before they sprout from the soil, is responsible for between 20 percent and 80 percent maize yield losses in the region. In Kenya, the weed is blamed for major maize losses in the region. In Kenya, the weed is blamed for major maize losses in western Kenya, around Lake Victoria region.

 Plans are underway to unveil these seeds in Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda where Striga is a major problem.

 Currently, the herbicide is commonly used by the railway corporations in sub Saharan Africa for clearing bushes along the lines.

 Making the announcement about the new seed variety at the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), Dr. Kanampiu said the weed thrives well in poor farms and stays in the soil for a period of 15 years.

 “Striga attacks a variety of host plants, but it is most severe on maize, sorghum and millet hence affecting over 100 million livelihoods,” he observes.

 The new seeds allow farmers to continue rotating and intercropping their crops with herbicide sensitive legumes. 

“The new technology can be integrated with other controls Striga control options like use improved and adapted varieties with cultural methods which would enables broader adoption in diverse African agro-ecosystems,” says Dr Kanampiu.

 Kenya seed and Western Kenya seed companies have already agreed to produce and commercialize the seeds to farmers in Kenya. We have also identified potential companies in Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi, according to Dr Kanampiu.

 The good news is that the seeds are low cost and can be integrated within other cultural farming practices.

 The Imazapyr resistant maize success in one of the recent breakthroughs in the effective striga management headed by CYMMYT. Other attempts on Striga control in the country has been done by KARI, the International Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute.