How can I fight the striga weed that is eating away my maize plantation?

Edward Chemonges,
Bukwo

THE striga weed is one of the leading enemies of maize in the country. Striga can make you lose up to half of your crop. Striga ‘kills’ maize by putting its roots into the roots of your maize hence suffocating it in the process. The weed then takes the food that the maize is supposed to be taking before it reaches the maize.

To stop it, you have to pull it out of the soil and burn it. This is hard work, which is why you have to be consistent because it keeps coming back. You can also use a weed killer, there are several on the market, but again this is also an expensive venture because the weed will return as soon as the weed killer ebbs.

The other option is to plant maize varieties that have been discovered to be tolerant to the striga weed. Then feed the maize with lots of fertilizers so that the soils can produce enough food for both the dangerous weed and the maize. It has also been found out that if you intercrop maize with another plant called desmodium, that covers the surface of the shamba, it stops the weed from expanding.

Reply from NARO