Habits of a highly successful cereal killer, Striga

[...]Striga has been able to expand from its native range in the Semien hills of Ethiopia and the Nubian Hills of Sudan to over 40 countries in Africa [1]. [...]S. aspera constrains maize and rice production in Sudan, Malawi, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Senegal [3]. [...]the haustorium penetrates the host until it encounters the endodermis, where haustorial cells elongate and divide to establish vascular connections with the host (Fig 1D and 1E). Summary and perspectives Characteristics of Striga described above are indicative of a successful pathogen whose control should take into account biological and chemical mechanisms underpinning Striga-host interaction. [...]common emerging Striga control strategies are aimed at (i) exploiting host-based resistance, (ii) evading Striga germination, and (iii) depleting the vast Striga seedbank in soil.