Striga parasitizes transgenic hairy roots of Zea mays and provides a tool for studying plant-plant interactions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Striga species are noxious root hemi-parasitic weeds that debilitate cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Control options for Striga are limited and developing Striga resistant crop germplasm is regarded as the best and most sustainable control measure. Efforts to improve germplasm for Striga resistance by a non-Genetic Modification (GM) approach, for example by exploiting natural resistance, or by a GM approach are constrained by limited information on the biological processes underpinning host-parasite associations. Additionaly, a GM approach is stymied by lack of availability of candidate resistance genes for introduction into hosts and robust transformation methods to validate gene functions. Indeed, a majority of Striga hosts, the world's most cultivated c

SUBMITTER: Runo S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3422161 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature