Browsing by Author "Jian You Wang"

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    Evaluation of Formulated Strigolactone Analogs for Striga Management in Kenyan Agriculture
    (Elsevier B.V, 2025) Muhammad Jamil; Mutinda Sylvia; Jian You Wang; Barminga Damaris; Mwihaki Agnes; Navangi Lynet; Okiyo Teresa O.; Patil Rohit H.; Ngatia Titus; Mudavadi Patrick; Runo Steven; Al-Babili Salim
    Striga hermonthica, an obligate root parasitic weed affecting cereal crops, poses a significant threat to global food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Germination of Striga seed largely relies on signaling molecules released by the host roots, mainly strigolactones (SLs). Suicidal germination is an effective strategy for reducing Striga seed banks in infested soils by applying SL analogs in the absence of a host. However, the challenge remains in developing suitably formulated SL analogs for field application. In this report, we assessed the activity of two SL analogs, MP3 and Nijmegen-1, in both granular and liquid formulations in laboratory and greenhouse settings, and conducted mini-field and field trials to evaluate their effectiveness under farmers’ conditions, using maize as the host crop in Kenyan agriculture. We observed a significant induction of Striga seed germination reaching up to 56 % in laboratory germination bioassays and a reduction in Striga emergence by up to 77 % in greenhouse pot studies. In mini- and field trials in different infested fields, we recorded up to 80 % and 65 % reduction in Striga emergence, respectively. In conclusion, the formulated SL analogs demonstrate significant potential to reduce Striga infestation in maize fields in Kenya and are promising candidates for use by farmers due to their simplicity, ease of handling, stability, and effectiveness
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    Evaluation of Granular Formulated Strigolactone Analogs for Striga Suicidal Germination
    (John Wiley & Sons, 2024) Jamil,Muhammad; Margueritte,Ouedraogo; Yonli,Djibril; Jian You Wang; Navangi,Lynet; Mudavadi,Patrick; Patil,Rohit H.; Bhoge,Satish Ekanath; Traore,Hamidou; Runo,Steven; Al-Babili,Salim
    BACKGROUND: Striga hermonthica, an obligate root parasitic weed, poses a significant threat to cereal production in subSaharan Africa. Lowering Striga seed bank in infested soils is a promising strategy to mitigate infestation levels. The dependency of Striga seed germination on strigolactones opens up the possibility of a ‘suicidal germination’ approach, where synthetic germination stimulants induce lethal germination in the absence of a host. Implementing this approach requires active germination stimulants with a suitable formulation for field application. Here, we describe the development of slowreleasing granular formulation of two potent germination stimulants ‘Methyl Phenlactonoate 3’ and ‘Nijmegen-1’ and the assessment of their activity under Laboratory, greenhouse, mini-field, and field conditions. RESULTS: Under laboratory conditions, the granular formulation of either of the two germination stimulants (1.25 mg per plate, corresponding to 0.09 mg a.i.) induced Striga seed germination at a rate of up to 43%. With 10 mg granular product (0.75 mg a. i.) per pot, we observed 77–83% reduction in Striga emergence under greenhouse pot conditions. Application of the formulated stimulants under artificially or naturally infested fields resulted in approximately 56%, 60%, and 72% reduction in Striga emergence in maize, sorghum, and millet fields in Kenya and Burkina Faso, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings on the newly designed granular formulation of Methyl Phenlactonoate 3 and Nijmegen-1 reveal encouraging prospects for addressing the Striga problem in Africa. These findings underscore several significant advantages of the formulated stimulants, including suitability for the African agricultural context, and, most importantly, their effectiveness in reducing Striga infection