EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT PLANTS BASED PRODUCTS FOR Striga hermonthica CONTROL IN SORGHUM (Sorghum bicolor) UNDER SUDANESE FIELD CONDITIONS

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the most important cerealcrop in Sudan in terms of both production and consumption. It is worst affected by a noxious parasitic weed Striga hermonthica causing serious crop yield losses. Three successive field experiments were conducted at Dalang, Sudan, from 2008 to 2009, to evaluate the efficiency of four plants (Azadirachtaindica, Ocimum basilicum, Lawsonia alba and Cissusquadrangularis) based products on Striga seed germination,seedling mortality, time to 50% Striga seedling emergence and mortality. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design using five replications. All four plants based materials significantly reduced Striga seed germination and causing considerable Striga seedling mortality which was the highest in the treatment with C. quadrangularis plant material. C.quadrangularis plant materials caused 50% of Striga seedling mortality in about 40 days after the first seedling emergence(FSE) while the other plant materials caused 50% seedling mortality in about 60 days of FSE. The effect of the four plant materials under study on the time of 50% Striga seedling emergence was consistent in the three trials. Suppression of S.hermonthica seed germination by allelochemicals released by theplant materials under study is suggested as the mechanism for reduction of S. hermonthica infestation and can act as aneffective component of an integrated Striga control program compatible with the limited resources of small-scale subsistence farmers of Sudan.