Striga Conference

List of Participants

Program & Presentations
Sunday, November 5, 2006
Arrival & Registration

4:00 p.m.
   Registration starts
6:00-8:00 p.m.
   Reception
Chair: Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University, USA
Welcome: Tsedeke Abate, Director General, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural
Research (EIAR), Ethiopia
Welcome: John Yohe, Director, International Sorghum and Millet Collaborative
Research Support Program (INTSORMIL CRSP), University of Nebraska, USA
Guest Speaker: TBD

Monday, November 6, 2006
Session 1: Opening Session
Moderator: Tsedeke Abate, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Ethiopia

8:00-8:30 a.m..
   H. E. Addissu Legesse, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture
8:30-9:00 a.m.
   Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University, USA
The Striga Scourge in Africa: A Growing Pandemic?
9:00-9:30 a.m.
   Break


Session 2: Biology and Chemistry — The Needed Basics
Moderator: Daniel Joel, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Israel

9:30-10:10 a.m..
   Patrick Rich, Purdue University, USA
Biology of Host-Parasite Interactions in Striga Species
10:10-10:50 a.m..
    John Yoder, University of California-Davis, USA
Host Detection by Root Parasites: Insights from Transciptome Profiles
10:50-11:30 a.m.
   Harro Bouwmeester, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Germination of Striga and Chemical Signaling Involved:
A Target for Control Methods
11:30-12:10 p.m.
   John Pickett, Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
Chemical Studies on Striga Control by Desmodium and Opportunities for
Developing this Trait in Edible Bean Legumes
12:10-12:50 p.m.
   Lytton Musselman, Old Dominion University, USA
Biological Diversity Among and Within Striga Species: Implications for Control
and Potential Spread
12:50-2:00 p.m.
   Lunch

Session 3: Biocontrol: Untapped Potential?
Moderator: Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

2:00-2:40 p.m.
   Alan Watson, McGill University, Canada
What Can Fusarium oxysporum Do in the Battle Against Striga?
2:40-3:20 p.m.
   David Sands, Montana State University, USA
Genetically Enhancing Virulence of Pathogens for Weed Control:
Why, How, and Results
3:20-4:00 p.m.
   Fenton Beed, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Benin
Biocontrol: A Critical Component of Integrated Striga Management
4:00-4:40 p.m.
   Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Transgenic Biocontrol Agents to Overcome Evolutionary Barriers
4:40-5:00 p.m.
   Break

Panel 1: Integrating Agricultural R&D with Technology Deployment in Africa
Moderator: Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University, USA

5:00-7:00 p.m.
   Panel: TBD
8:00 p.m..
   Dinner: Location TBD

Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Session 4: Biotechnology: Opening New Frontiers
Moderator: Debby Delmer, The Rockefeller Foundation, USA

8:00-8:45 a.m..
   Fred Kanampiu, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Kenya
Success with the Low Biotech of Seed-Coated Imidazolinone-Resistant Maize
8:45-9:30 a.m..
   Cecile Grenier, Purdue University, USA
Marker-Assisted Selection for Striga Resistance in Sorghum
9:30-9:45 a.m.
   Break
9:45-10:30 a.m.
   Julie Scholes, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Genomic Approaches to Striga Control
10:30-11:15 a.m.
   Anic de-Framond, Syngenta, USA
Effects on Striga Parasitism of Transgenic Maize Armed with RNAi Constructs
Targeting Essential S. asiatica Genes

Session 5: Knowledge-Based Breeding — Translating Information to Products
Moderator: Joe DeVries, The Rockefeller Foundation, Kenya

11:15 p.m.-Noon.
   Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University, USA
Dissecting the Complex Trait of Striga Resistance to Simpler Components for
Effective Breeding of Sorghums with High Level of Resistance to S. hermonthica
Noon-12:45 p.m.
   Abebe Menkir, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria
Breeding Maize with Broad-Based Resistance to Striga hermonthica
12:45-1:45 p.m.
   Lunch
1:45-2:30 p.m.
   Boukar Ousmane or Mike Timko, Institut de la Recherche Agronomique pour le
Developpement (IRAD), Cameroon or University of Virginia, USA
Genetic Analysis of Resistance to Striga gesnerioides in Cowpeas
2:30-3:15 p.m..
   Issoufou Kapran, Institut National de Recherché Agronomique du Niger (INRAN), Niger
Introgression of Striga Resistance Genes into African Sorghum Landraces
3:15-3:30 p.m.
   Break

Panel 2: Integrating Crop Breeding Agronomy and Biotechnology Solutions
Moderator: Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

3:30-5:30 p.m.
   Panel: TBD
7:00 p.m..
   Dinner: Location TBD

Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Session 6: Agronomic Options: The First and Essential Line of Control and Policy Considerations
Moderator: Charlie Riches, Natural Resources Institute, United Kingdom

8:00-8:45 a.m..
   Tesfaye Tesso, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
An Integrated Striga Management Option Offers Effective Control of Striga in Ethiopia
8:45-9:30 a.m.
   Joel Ransom or Abdel Gabar Babiker, North Dakota State University, USA;
or Agriculture Research Corporation (ARC), Sudan
Integrating Crop Management Practices for Striga Control
9:30-10:15 a.m.
   Fasil Reda, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Ethiopia
Cultural and Cropping Systems Approach for Striga Management — A Low Cost
Alternative Option in Subsistence Farming
10:15-10:30 a.m.
   Break
10:30-11:15 a.m.
   Zeyaur Khan, International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kenya
Field Developments on Striga Control by Desmodium Intercrops in a “Push-Pull”
Strategy
11:15 a.m.-Noon.
   Ambonesigwe Mbwaga, Ilonga Research Institute (ARI), Tanzania
Integrated Striga Management for Improved Sorghum Production to Meet
Market Demands in Tanzania
Noon-12:45 p.m.
   Hugo de Groote, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Kenya
Economic Analysis of Striga Control in Maize
12:45-1:45 p.m.
   Lunch

Panel 3: The Ultimate Integration — Aligning Agricultural Technology with
Markets and Development Policy
Moderator: Eleni Gabre Madhin, International Food Policy Research Institute, Ethiopia

1:45-2:00p.m..
   MeMahon, USAID/Ethiopia
2:00 - 3:45p.m .
   Panel: TBD
3:45-4:00 p.m..
   Break

Session 7: Closing Session

1:45-3:45 p.m..
   Synthesis of Presentations and Closing Remarks
3:45-4:00 p.m..
   Banquet: Location TBD