Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T22:52:31.014Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Longevity of Striga seeds reconsidered: results of a field study on purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica) in Bénin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Gualbert Gbèhounou ,
Arnold H. Pieterse  and
Jos A. C. Verkleij
Arnold H. Pieterse
Affiliation:
Royal Tropical Institute, Agriculture and Enterprise Development, Mauritskade 63, 1092 AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jos A. C. Verkleij
Affiliation:
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Germination and longevity of purple witchweed seeds stored in nylon gauze bags in the soil in situ were tested in northern Bénin over a 2-yr period, covering the rainy seasons in 1994 and 1995. The seeds were collected at Ina Station in November 1993 from corn and sorghum fields. It appeared that germination percentages of the seeds, which were stimulated by GR24 to germinate, as well as their viability according to a tetrazolium test, decreased steadily in wet soil. During the 1994 rainy season, germination percentage of seeds, which reached maximum values of 30 to 74%, decreased to values of 11 to 17%. During the 1995 rainy season, the number of germinating seeds decreased further, and at the end of this season the germination percentage approached zero. Seed viability also decreased in line with the decrease in germination. In addition to the study on longevity under field conditions, seeds also were exposed to various water regimens in pots. In the pot experiment, purple witchweed seed viability and germination declined in moist soil treatments. The dying-off process observed contradicts the common opinion on longevity of Striga seeds in their natural environment. “Wet dormancy” was not observed in the course of the rainy season.

Keywords

Purple witchweed, Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth STRHEcorn, Zea mays L.sorghum, Sorghum bicolour (L.) MoenchGerminationviabilitydying-offrainy seasondry season
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 51 , Issue 6 , December 2003 , pp. 940 - 946
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Abbasher, A. A. 1994. Microorganisms Associated with Striga hermonthica and Possibilities of Their Utilization as Biological Control Agents. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. 144 p.Google Scholar
Bebawi, F. F., Eplee, R. E., Harris, C. E., and Norris, R. 1984. Longevity of witchweed (S. asiatica) seed. Weed Sci 32:494–497.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berner, D., Carsky, R., Dashiell, K., Kling, J., and Manyong, V. 1996. A land management based approach to integrated Striga hermonthica control in sub-Saharan Africa. Outlook Agric 25:157–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ciotola, M., Hallett, S. G., and Watson, A. K. 1996. Impact of Fusarium oxysporum isolate M12-4A upon seed germination of Striga hermonthica in vitro. Pages 871–878 in Moreno, M. T., Cubero, J. I., Berner, D., Joel, D., Musselman, L. J., and Parker, C. eds. Advances in Parasitic Plant Research. Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Parasitic Weeds. Cordoba, Spain: Direcciòn General de Investigaciòn Agraria.Google Scholar
Debrah, S. K. 1994. Socio-economic constraints to the adoption of weed control techniques: the case of Striga control in the West African Semi-Arid Tropics. Int. J. Pest Manag 40:153–158.Google Scholar
Egbers, W. S., Pieterse, A. H., and Verkleij, J. A. C. 1991. Germination of freshly harvested seed of Striga hermonthica after storage under various temperature and relative humidity conditions. Pages 407–414 in Ransom, J. K., Musselman, L. J., Worsham, A. D., and Parker, C. eds. Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium of Parasitic Weeds. Nairobi, Kenya: CIMMYT.Google Scholar
Egley, G. H., Eplee, R. E., and Norris, R. S. 1990. Discovery and development of ethylene as a witchweed seed germination stimulant. Pages 56–67 in Sand, P. F., Eplee, R. E., and Westbrooks, R. G. eds. Witchweed Research and Control in the United States. Champaign, IL: Weed Science Society of America.Google Scholar
Eplee, R. E. 1975. Ethylene: a witchweed seed germination stimulant. Weed Sci 23:433–436.Google Scholar
Eplee, R. E. and Norris, R. S. 1987. Field research techniques. Pages 271–280 in Musselman, L. J. ed. Parasitic Weeds in Agriculture. Volume 1. Boca Raton, FL: CRC.Google Scholar
Fenner, M. 1985. Dormancy. Pages 72–86 in Dunnet, G. M. and Gimingham, C. H. eds. Seed Ecology. London: Chapman and Hall.Google Scholar
Gbèhounou, G. 1992. A Study on Viability and “Wet Dormancy” of Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. Seeds in the Course of the Rainy Season. . Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands. 30 p.Google Scholar
Gbèhounou, G. 1998. Seed ecology of Striga hermonthica in the Republic of Bénin: Host Specificity and Control Potentials. Ph.D. dissertation. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 126 p.Google Scholar
Gbèhounou, G., Pieterse, A. H., and Verkleij, J. A. C. 1996a. The decrease in seed germination of Striga hermonthica in Benin in the course of the rainy season is due to a dying-off process. Experientia 52:264–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gbèhounou, G., Pieterse, A. H., and Verkleij, J. A. C. 1996b. A study on primary dormancy of Striga hermonthica seeds in the northern provinces of the Republic of Benin. Pages 451–455 in Moreno, M. T., Cubero, J. I., Berner, D., Joel, D., Musselman, L. J., and Parker, C. eds. Advances in Parasitic Plant Research. Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Parasitic Weeds. Cordoba, Spain: Direcciòn General de Investigaciòn Agraria.Google Scholar
Gbèhounou, G., Pieterse, A. H., and Verkleij, J. A. C. 2000. Endogenously induced secondary dormancy in seeds of Striga hermonthica . Weed Sci 48:561–566.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harper, J. C. 1977. Population Biology of Plants. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kim, S. K. and Winslow, M. D. 1991. Progress in breeding maize for Striga tolerance/resistance at IITA. Pages 494–499 in Ransom, J. K., Musselman, L. J., Worsham, A. D., and Parker, C. eds. Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium of Parasitic Weeds. Nairobi, Kenya: CIMMYT.Google Scholar
Kuiper, E., Verkleij, J. A. C., and Pieterse, A. H. 1996. Differences in the primary dormancy pattern of Striga species; an ongoing study. Pages 451–455 in Moreno, M. T., Cubero, J. I., Berner, D., Joel, D., Musselman, L. J., and Parker, C. eds. Advances in Parasitic Plant Research Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Parasitic Weeds. Cordoba, Spain: Direcciòn General de Investigaciòn Agraria.Google Scholar
Kunisch, M., Linke, K. H., Richter, O., and Koch, W. 1991. Inclusion of conceptual modeling in studies on the population dynamics of the genus Striga . Angew. Bot 65:45–57.Google Scholar
Kust, C. A. 1963. Dormancy and viability of witchweed seeds as affected by temperature and relative humidity during storage. Weeds 11:247–250.Google Scholar
M'boob, S. S. 1989. A regional program for Striga control in West and Central Africa. Pages 190–194 in Robson, T. O. and Broad, H. R. eds. Proceedings of the FAO/OAU All Africa Government Consultation on Striga . Maroua, Cameroun: FAO.Google Scholar
Mohamed, A. H., Butler, L. G., and Housley, T. L. 1998. Moisture content and dormancy in Striga asiatica seeds. Weed Res 38:257–265.Google Scholar
Murdoch, A. J. and Ellis, R. H. 1992. Longevity, viability and dormancy. Pages 193–229 in Fenner, M. ed. Seeds. The Ecology of Regeneration in Plant Communities. Wallingford, Great Britain: CAB International.Google Scholar
Nwoke, F. I. O. and Okonkwo, S. N. C. 1976. The effect of storage temperature and relative humidity on germination of seeds of Striga and Alectra . J. W. Afr. Sci. Assoc 20:223–232.Google Scholar
Okonkwo, S. N. C. 1991. The germination of Striga—a review. Pages 144–154 in Ransom, J. K., Musselman, L. J., Worsham, A. D., and Parker, C. eds. Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium of Parasitic Weeds. Nairobi, Kenya: CIMMYT.Google Scholar
Okonkwo, S. N. C. and Nwoke, F. I. O. 1978. Germination of seeds of Buchnera hispida Buch.-Ham ex D. Don as affected by storage temperature and relative humidity. Niger. J. Plant Prot 4:14–26.Google Scholar
Parker, C. and Riches, C. R. 1993. Parasitic Weeds of the World: Biology and Control. Wallington, Great: Britain: CAB International. 22 p.Google Scholar
Pieterse, A. H., Verkleij, J. A. C., den Hollander, N. G., Odhiambo, G. D., and Ransom, J. K. 1996. Germination and viability of Striga hermonthica seeds in Western Kenya in the course of the long rainy season. Pages 457–464 in Moreno, M. T., Cubero, J. I., Berner, D., Joel, D., Musselman, L. J., and Parker, C. eds. Advances in Parasitic Plant Research. Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Parasitic Weeds. Cordoba, Spain: Direcciòn General de Investigaciòn Agraria.Google Scholar
Sauerborn, J., Mussa, H., and Linke, K. H. 1991. Physical control of Striga . Pages 55–60 in Kim, S. K. ed. Combating Striga in Africa. Proceedings International Workshop. Ibadan, Nigeria: IITA.Google Scholar
Schoenmakers, F. 1992. Results of Conditioning of Striga hermonthica Seeds. . Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 43 p.Google Scholar
Snedecor, G. W. and Cochran, W. G. 1980. The Statistical Methods. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press. Pp 149–348.Google Scholar
Vallance, K. B. 1950. Studies on the germination of the seeds of Striga hermonthica I. The influence of moisture-treatment, stimulant-dilution, and after-ripening on germination. Ann. Bot 14:347–363.Google Scholar
van Hezewijk, M. J. 1994. Germination Ecology of Orobanche crenata—Implications for Cultural Control Measures. Ph.D. dissertation. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 162 p.Google Scholar
Zummo, N. 1977. Diseases of giant witchweed, Striga hermonthica, in West Africa. Plant Dis. Rep 61:428–430.Google Scholar