Abstract
A parasitic plant, Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth., infests millions of hectares of arable land in sub‐Saharan Africa, and it threatens production of major cereal crops including maize ( Zea mays L.). Erratic natural infestation is considered a major constraint to assess host plant resistance to the parasite. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different S. hermonthica seed inoculum rates on a tolerant and a susceptible maize genotype. Individual maize plants of the tolerant (8322‐13) and the susceptible maize hybrid (8338‐1) were inoculated with six rates of germinable Striga seeds: 750, 1500, 2250, 3000, 3750, and 4500. Uninfested plots served as the control. The experiment was conducted at two locations, Mokwa (two seasons) and Abuja (one season), in Nigeria. Increasing Striga inoculum level increased Striga emergence and the amount of damage to the host plant, plant height, and grain yield of the host crop. The tolerant hybrid showed less host plant damage ( P < 0.01) and that fewer S. hermonthica plants emerged ( P < 0.05) than the susceptible hybrid. Among the four traits studied, host plant damages core was most correlated with grain yield ( r = −0.65**). Average grain yield of the tolerant hybrid, 8322‐13, was 97% higher than that of the susceptible hybrid, 8338‐1, across the six inocolum rates. The tolerant hybrid produced similar grain yields under all levels of the inoculum; the yield reductions ranged from 27% (2250 seeds) to 35% (4500 seeds), while the yield reduction of the susceptible hybrid ranged from 43% (750 seeds) to 74% (3750 seeds). Based on the results this study, we conclude that host plant tolerance is the key element for stabilizing crop yield under S. hermonthica infestation.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
More Striga inoculum increased Striga emergence.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“Increasing Striga inoculum level increased Striga emergence and the amount of damage to the host plant, plant height, and grain yield of the host crop.”
Claim · model-written summary
More Striga inoculum increased host plant damage.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“Increasing Striga inoculum level increased Striga emergence and the amount of damage to the host plant, plant height, and grain yield of the host crop.”
Claim · model-written summary
More Striga inoculum increased host plant height and grain yield as worded in the abstract.
- Treatment
- Increasing Striga inoculum levele1
- Outcome
- plant height, and grain yield of the host crope1
- Direction
- increasede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“Increasing Striga inoculum level increased Striga emergence and the amount of damage to the host plant, plant height, and grain yield of the host crop.”
Claim · model-written summary
The tolerant hybrid had less host plant damage than the susceptible hybrid.
- Material
- tolerant hybride1
- Interactor
- S. hermonthica
Striga hermonthicae1parasite - Outcome
- host plant damagee1
- Direction
- lesse1
- Comparator
- susceptible hybride1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“The tolerant hybrid showed less host plant damage ( P < 0.01) and that fewer S. hermonthica plants emerged ( P < 0.05) than the susceptible hybrid.”
Claim · model-written summary
Fewer Striga plants emerged for the tolerant than susceptible hybrid.
- Material
- tolerant hybride1
- Interactor
- S. hermonthica
Striga hermonthicae1parasite - Outcome
- S. hermonthica plants emergede1
- Direction
- fewere1
- Comparator
- susceptible hybride1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“The tolerant hybrid showed less host plant damage ( P < 0.01) and that fewer S. hermonthica plants emerged ( P < 0.05) than the susceptible hybrid.”
Claim · model-written summary
Host plant damage score correlated most with grain yield, r = −0.65.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“host plant damages core was most correlated with grain yield ( r = −0.65**)”
Claim · model-written summary
Tolerant hybrid 8322‐13 averaged 97% higher grain yield than susceptible 8338‐1.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“Average grain yield of the tolerant hybrid, 8322‐13, was 97% higher than that of the susceptible hybrid, 8338‐1, across the six inocolum rates.”
Claim · model-written summary
The tolerant hybrid had similar grain yields across inoculum levels.
- Material
- tolerant hybride1
- Treatment
- all levels of the inoculume1
- Outcome
- grain yieldse1
- Direction
- similare1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“The tolerant hybrid produced similar grain yields under all levels of the inoculum”
Claim · model-written summary
Tolerant hybrid yield reductions ranged from 27% at 2250 seeds to 35% at 4500 seeds.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“the yield reductions ranged from 27% (2250 seeds) to 35% (4500 seeds)”
Claim · model-written summary
Tolerant hybrid yield reduction reached 35% at 4500 seeds.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“the yield reductions ranged from 27% (2250 seeds) to 35% (4500 seeds)”
Claim · model-written summary
Susceptible hybrid yield reduction was 43% at 750 seeds.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“yield reduction of the susceptible hybrid ranged from 43% (750 seeds) to 74% (3750 seeds)”
Claim · model-written summary
Susceptible hybrid yield reduction reached 74% at 3750 seeds.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“yield reduction of the susceptible hybrid ranged from 43% (750 seeds) to 74% (3750 seeds)”
Claim · model-written summary
Host tolerance is key to stabilizing crop yield under Striga infestation.
- Interactor
- S. hermonthica
Striga hermonthicae1parasite - Outcome
- stabilizing crop yielde1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“maize”
e1“host plant tolerance is the key element for stabilizing crop yield under S. hermonthica infestation”
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