{"id":12910,"date":"2026-06-20T12:25:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/new-iita-research-to-help-development-of-striga-resistant-cowpea\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:25:48","slug":"new-iita-research-to-help-development-of-striga-resistant-cowpea","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/new-iita-research-to-help-development-of-striga-resistant-cowpea\/","title":{"rendered":"New IITA Research to Help Development of Striga-resistant Cowpea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Progress has been made in IITA\u2019s longst anding effort to develop cowpea resistant to the <em>Striga<\/em> plant parasite through the use of molecular markers, as part of the goal of reducing crop losses estimated by FAO at $200 million annually in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Three markers \u2013 or genetic attributes \u2013 have been found, with more under development. At least six different races of <em>Striga<\/em> have been identified across West  and Central Africa, yet because these parasitic strains are geography-specific, the solution must also be suited to specific local conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest research, potentially assisting breeders to select cowpea with Striga resistance, was supported by $900,000 in funding provided the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) of The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). IITA\u2019s effort to alleviate infestations of Cowpea <em>Striga<\/em> <em>(S. gesnerioides)<\/em> has been further augmented through a new GCP initiative aimed at doubling cowpea  and the tropical legumes project funded by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), which aims to increase cowpea production in drought-prone areas in SSA  and South Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cowpea production across SSA accounts for over 65 percent of world output. According to FAO, cowpea in Africa impacts on poverty  and nutrition levels among more than 10 million people in drought-prone areas. IITA\u2019s latest research into cowpea markers took place in six countries \u2013 Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Mali  and Benin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on on-farm studies  and FAO estimates, losses to legume \u2013 or bean \u2013 crops, especially cowpea, caused by the parasitic <em>Striga<\/em> weed are believed to be 40 percent annually for all Africa. In dry areas of Nigeria, for example, <em>Striga<\/em>losses have reduced cowpea productivity from a potential 2-3 tonnes per hectare to 0.37 tonnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a huge potential for cowpea crops to contribute to nutrition  and income growth in Africa\u2019s dry  and semi-arid regions,\u201d said Dr. Satoru Muranaka, project leader based at IITA in Kano, Nigeria. \u201cBecause of crop damage still inflicted by Cowpea Striga, we hope our findings will contribute to greater food security in the dry  and arid regions of SSA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cowpea, an IITA world-m andate crop, already serves an important role in SSA. Comprising over 25 percent protein, cowpea provides food, sales income  and residual bi-products for use as livestock feed. As a drought-tolerant crop, cowpea is adapted to dry or arid environments where rainfall is low  and erratic, soils less fertile  and other crops habitually fail. Cowpea also contributes to soil fertility through its ability to \u2018fix nitrogen\u2019, vital to rotational cropping systems in marginal areas.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Progress has been made in IITA\u2019s longstanding effort to develop cowpea resistant to the Striga plant parasite through the use of molecular markers, as part of the goal of reducing crop losses estimated by FAO at $200 million annually in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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