Striga asiatica

Taxobox
name = Asiatic witchweed
regnum = Plantae
phylum = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Lamiales
familia = Orobanchaceae
genus = "Striga"
species = "S. asiatica"
binomial = "Striga asiatica"
binomial_authority = (L.) Kuntze
synonyms ="Striga lutea"

Asiatic witchweed ("Striga asiatica") is a hemiparasitic plant in the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae). It is native to Asia and sub-Saharan Africacite journal
author=Cochrane, V., Malcolm C. Press
year= 1997
title= Geographical Distribution and Aspects of the Ecology of the Hemiparasitic Angiosperm "Striga asiatica" (L.) Kuntze: A Herbarium Study
journal= Journal of Tropical Ecology
volume= 13
pages= 371–380
url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0266-4674(199705)13%3A3%3C371%3AGDAAOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D
issue= 3] , but has been introduced into other parts of the world including Australia and the United States. Witchweed is a serious agricultural pest as it parasitises important crop species including corn, rice, sorghum, and sugar cane, often causing substantial yield reductions [ [http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/a-facts/fswweed.html USDA] ] .

In the USA, witchweed was discovered in the Carolinas in 1955. It is considered an invasive agricultural pest, and a vigorous eradication campaign has reduced the affected area by 99 percent (from convert|450000|acre|km2|-1 to about convert|3400|acre|km2|0) [ [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=968&fr=1&sts= Global Invasive Species Database] ] .

Biological control can be achieved by growing a "Desmodium" (tick-trefoil) undercrop. The trefoil can be used as green manure or animal fodder after the harvest.

References

ources

* [http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=4576 Invasive.org]
*ITIS|ID=505388|taxon="Striga asiatica"
*Simberloff, Daniel. 2003. Eradication - preventing invasions at the outset. Weed Science 51:247–253.
* [http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=14&id=1508 Striga asiatica] in Brunken, U., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Janssen, T., Thombiano, A. & Zizka, G. 2008. West African plants - A Photo Guide. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt/Main.

See also

*Striga (plant)