{"id":15707,"date":"2026-06-20T12:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/scientists-call-for-new-striga-resistant-and-drought-tolerant-genes-in-bi-parental-maize-populations\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T20:30:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:30:24","slug":"scientists-call-for-new-striga-resistant-and-drought-tolerant-genes-in-bi-parental-maize-populations","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/scientists-call-for-new-striga-resistant-and-drought-tolerant-genes-in-bi-parental-maize-populations\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists call for new Striga-resistant and drought-tolerant genes in bi-parental maize populations"},"content":{"rendered":"R4D Special<\/strong>\nScientists say that genomic selection is effective for yield improvement in bi-parental maize populations infested by Striga and drought. This conclusion was made in a study titled \u201cYield gains and associated changes in an early yellow bi-parental maize population following genomic selection for Striga resistance and drought tolerance.\u201d\n
\n\n\"\"\n

Striga infestation in maize field.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nThe study was carried out after a new bi-parental maize population, TZEI 17 x TZEI 11 with combined tolerance to drought and resistance to\u00a0Striga<\/em>, was developed by IITA.\n\nMaize (Zea mays\u00a0<\/em>L.) is an important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of IITA\u2019s mandate crops. It plays a crucial food and nutrition role and serves as feed and industrial crop in the subregion.\n\nHowever, its production is limited by factors such as drought (a regular occurrence in most agroecologies of sub-Saharan Africa due to irregular rainfall patterns and climate change in the subregion) and the\u00a0Striga hermonthica\u00a0<\/em>parasite, which threatens the livelihood of over 300 million people in the region.\n\nYield loss due to drought stress could be as high as 90%, while\u00a0Striga\u00a0<\/em>accounts for an estimated loss of staple food crop valued at $7 billion yearly.\n\nTo determine yield gains and associated changes in early maturing yellow bi-parental maize populations, 200 test crosses were evaluated under drought, artificial\u00a0Striga<\/em>-infested, and optimal environments.\n

\n\n\"\"\n

Maize plants infected by Striga in experimental maize plot.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nThe results of the study show that yield gains of 498 kg\/ha\/cycle (16.9%\/cycle) and 522 kg\/ha\/cycle (12.6%\/cycle) were obtained under\u00a0Striga<\/em>-infested and optimal environments, respectively.\n\nSome changes in early maturing yellow bi-parental maize populations are increased plant and ear heights, improved root lodging, and\u00a0Striga\u00a0<\/em>resistance.\n\nThe study concludes with a call for new sources of genes for\u00a0Striga<\/em>\u00a0resistance and drought tolerance because of low genetic variability of most traits in the population.\n\nThe article was published in Volume 19 of BMC Plant Biology Open access journal. Find the full article here:\u00a0https:\/\/bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12870-019-1740-z<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scientists say that genomic selection is effective for yield improvement in bi-parental maize populations infested by Striga and drought.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":15708,"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 center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[1462],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[32],"news-type":[],"hub":[61],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[197],"class_list":["post-15707","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-drought-tolerant-maizeiita-news-no-2499maizestress-tolerant-maize-for-africastriga-resistant","location-nigeria","hub-western-africa","item-year-197"],"yoast_head":"\nScientists call for new Striga-resistant and drought-tolerant genes in bi-parental maize populations - 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