Witchweed-resistant cowpea plants may help save Africans' much valued 'soul food'

The cultural traditions-dominating African native plant, the black-eyed pea, believed to be the 'soul food' or an element of 'good luck' when eaten on New Year's Day, is the source of varied daily use by the natives, who locally call it 'niebe".

sorghum field infested with striga hermonthica

The primary protein source for millions of people, the 'cowpea' -- as is also called in the English-speaking regions -- the entire plant is of huge indirect economic value for the natives there, where the pea is used for soups, stews and breads and the leaves as fresh greens. The stems are also used as cattle's hay and fodder.

But, this much-valued plant is threatened by a parasitic plant -- Striga gesnerioides or witch-weed.

Even relocating the cowpeas is not of much help, as its fine dust-like virulent seeds can be carried easily wherever the cowpea plants are relocated.

-- Neither do the farmers in this dry region have enough money for buying herbicides and fertilizers.

Cuing up with these worries, scientists have discovered a way to curve this 'Striga problem.' They are up with arms sequencing the cowpea genome, to help develop Striga-resistant cowpea plants.

Michael Timko, a U.Va. Professor of Biology said,

It is now possible for us to identify all possible genes for Striga resistance in cowpeas, as well as resistance to other cowpea pathogens,' Timko said. 'We may even eventually breed a more drought-resistant plant and varieties that have higher levels and a better balance of nutrients. We've reached a point where we can manipulate this plant for the good of millions of people.

Hope, the use of these modern molecular-based technologies, will help farmers modify and improve their crops through selective breeding, which they were doing for centuries and erase away this 'Striga problem' permanently.

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