A research team identified potential Striga-suppressing rhizobacteria associated with sorghum, which have been shown to significantly reduce Striga seed germination rates. Future applications could involve the isolation and characterization these rhizobacteria to enhance sorghum productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its importance, sorghum productivity is hindered by abiotic factors like drought and biotic factors including the parasitic weed Striga. To identify Striga-suppressive rhizobacteria, 117 bacterial isolates were collected from the rhizosphere of 12 sorghum varieties in three regions of Ethiopian. In summary, this study identified rhizobacteria isolates capable of significantly suppressing Striga germination in sorghum, with isolates E19G12, E29G2b, and E19G10 being the most effective.

Source: Ethiopian News July 17, 2024 13:53 UTC