Cowpea striga problems and research in Nigeria

Brief mention of research into the infestation of cowpeas by Striga gesnerioides conducted by staff of the Botany Department of the University of Nigeria at Nsukka is followed by more extensive discussion of work on this host-parasite relationship conducted at the Institute of Agricultural Research at Samaru. Investigations at the Institute have covered the following aspects: symptoms of infection and the extent of yield losses in Nigeria, screening for resistance under field conditions, the development of pot culture techniques, the effect of inoculum density on the number of emergent S. gesnerioides plants, the effects of the frequency of watering, the effect of the extent of lateral distribution in inoculum, the progress of infection with time, the effect of soil N content in the incidence of infection, the effect of N fertilizer application indices for measuring infection, screening cowpea lines for resistance and the inheritance of resistance. Proposed future work on the cowpea-S. gesnerioides relationship is noted