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Project
Update by Abebe Menkir, IITA
Email:
A.MENKIR@CGIAR.ORG
The major outputs of the
Rockefeller Foundation funded project on "Introgressing genes for Striga
hermonthica resistance from teosinte to maize"
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QTL
alleles for reduced Striga damage symptom and increased
number of ears at harvest and grain yield under Striga
infestation derived from the resistant line, which were consistently
expressed across all environments and were anchored at a few common
marker intervals in the same linkage groups, were found for possible
use to improve host plant resistance to this parasite.
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Use
of markers associated with such QTL alleles for selection may
eliminate the bulk of Striga susceptible genotypes and thus
may significantly reduce the amount of screening required to breed
maize for resistance to S. hermonthica.
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The
new
inbred lines derived from a backcross population involving Z.
diploperennis
and evaluated in
diallel crosses had consistent
reaction to S.
hermothica across
locations, seasons and countries, suggesting that the resistance
factors in the new lines seem to be
stable
across the different strains of S. hermonthica in Benin and
Nigeria.
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Some
inbred lines with large numbers of attached Striga plants to
their roots but with few emerged Striga per plant were found
in green house and pot experiments, suggesting that different
mechanisms of resistance to Striga may exist in this set of inbred
lines.
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The
backcross population involving Z. diploperennis has been good
sources of inbred lines, hybrids and germplasm supporting reduced
numbers of Striga plants, which have been distributed widely
through regional trials.
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