Macronutrient application rescues performance of tolerant sorghum genotypes when infected by the parasitic plant striga.

Background and aims: Infection by the hemi-parasitic plant Striga hermonthica causes severe host plant damage and seed production losses. Increased availability of essential plant nutrients reduces infection. Whether, how and to what extent it also reduces striga-induced host plant damage has not been well studied.

Methods: The effects of improved macro- and micronutrient supply on host plant performance under striga-free and infected conditions were investigated in glasshouse pot assays. One striga-sensitive and two striga-tolerant genotypes were compared. Plants growing in impoverished soils were supplied with (1) 25 % of optimal macro- and micronutrient quantities, (2) 25 % macro- and 100 % micronutrients, (3) 100 % macro- and 25 % micronutrients, or (4) 100 % macro- and micronutrients.

Key results: Photosynthesis rates of striga-infected plants of the sensitive genotype increased with improved nutrition (from 12.2 to 22.1 μmol m-2 s-1) but remained below striga-free levels (34.9-38.8 μmol m-2 s-1). For the tolerant genotypes, increased macronutrient supply offset striga-induced photosynthesis losses. Striga-induced relative grain losses of 100 % for the sensitive genotype were reduced to 74 % by increased macronutrients. Grain losses of 80 % in the tolerant Ochuti genotype, incurred at low nutrient supply, were reduced to 5 % by improved nutrient supply.

Conclusions: Increasing macronutrient supply reduces the impact of striga on host plants but can only restore losses when applied to genotypes with a tolerant background.