- The development of the striga smart sorghum is a major breakthrough in the wake of many challenges to food security arising from the effects of climate change. The scientists have used modern technology of gene editing, including the use of naturally occurring molecular scissors to improve crops interaction with the environment for issues like weed resistance.
Kenyan Scientists have some good news to boost food security amidst the looming food crisis threatening the continent. They have developed a sorghum variety that can resist striga weed in the arid and semi-arid areas where the crop is mostly grown.
The striga weed is regarded as a major threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a parasitic weed that attacks the roots of host crops such as maize, sorghum, millet, rice (mainly cereals) and sucks out nutrients and kills the host crop. According to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (Kalro), striga weed leads to almost 100 percent yield loss. As per estimates, it affects about 50 million hectares of African croplands, causing Sh1 trillion in crop loss annually.The increasing demographic pressure and demand for food that led to excessive land use led to decline in soil fertility that in turn resulted in an increase in Striga incidences.
The development of the striga smart sorghum is a major breakthrough in the wake of many challenges to food security arising from the effects of climate change. The scientists have used modern technology of gene editing, including the use of naturally occurring molecular scissors to improve crops interaction with the environment for issues like weed resistance. The new variety has been successfully tested in Busia, Kisumu and HomaBay counties where the weed is common.
Steven Runo, an Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology at Kenyatta University has been credited with the invention.
