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Ua Kayongo Hybrid Maize
A New Approach to Controlling Parasitic Striga for Kenyan Maize Producers |
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Five Easy Steps to Establish Ua Kayongo
Step 1. Identify and prepare a Striga infested field. Identify a field that was affected by Striga the previous season and prepare it for planting using hand digging, animal ploughing or other method to a depth of 20 cm (8 inches) to 25 cm (10 inches). Unlike most conditions, slightly deeper tillage (e.g. 35 cm or 14 inches) is not an advantage because it allows Striga seeds to penetrate further into the soil and these seeds may infect maize roots development.
Step 2. Apply mineral or organic fertilizers. Apply the locally recommended combination of fertilizers. For most soils in Kenya, a pre-plant combination of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP: dark brown granules) and either Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN: white granules) or Urea (white crystals) is recommended. Broadcast the DAP fertilizer and CAN or Urea at a rate of 20 to 50 kg per acre and dig into the soil about 15 cm (6 inches). In other cases a N-P-K fertilizer may be recommended and should be applied at a rate of 30 to 50 kg per acre. Manure or compost may be substituted for fertilizers at the rate of 1 ton per acre. If only 500 kg of manure or compost is available, then add 1/2 the recommended fertilizers.
Step 3. Plant maize and its accompanying intercrop. Plant Ua Kayongo at your recommended spacing, usually requiring 8 to 10 two-kg bags of seed per acre. If the Ua Kayongo maize is to be intercropped with a legume such as beans, then plant the beans first and the treated Ua Kayongo maize last. This is done to avoid StrigawayTM herbicide damage to beans that are hand planted. Ua Kayongo can be intercropped with legumes, but the two must not be planted in the same hole, as the StrigawayTM herbicide is likely to affect the legume seed.
Step 4. Wash you hands. After handling any commercial seed that has been treated with pesticides it is important to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Washing is especially important after planting Ua Kayongo not because it is more dangerous to people but because the StrigawayTM herbicide is very toxic to all other crop plants that do not have Imazapyr-resistance. For example, if you plant beans after planting Ua Kayongo maize without washing your hands then the beans will develop visible toxicity symptoms after emergence. So remember to always wash your hands thoroughly after planting Ua Kayongo.
Step 5. Apply nitrogen side-dressing. The highest yields are obtained when a nitrogen fertilizer is applied as a side-dressing to maize mid-way through its growth. Apply CAN fertilizer at a rate of 20 to 50 kg per acre as a side-dressing to the maize either following the second weeding or just before the maize tassels. If urea is applied as a side-dressing instead, lower rates may be applied (10 to 25 kg per acre) but it should be incorporated into to the surface of the soil.
Other benefits from planting Ua Kayongo
After planting Ua Kayongo with StrigawayTM, little or no Striga will emerge in the maize field! For long-term control of Striga, Ua Kayongo may be combined with other Striga management technologies, such as the Push-Pull system (maize intercropped with Desmodium), or MBILI planted with groundnut, golden gram, soyabean or lablab. One recently identified advantage of using Ua Kayongo is that the first weeding is less tedious due to the reduced number of other weeds near the young maize seedling. This effect results from the diffusion of StrigawayTM into the immediate soil surrounding the planted maize seed. |
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Format Home l Striga Home l Mobilizing Farmers l Striga Threats l Know your Enemy l First Defense Striga Management l Ua Kayongo l Establish Ua Kayongo l Questions on Striga Striga Swahili l Striga Luo l Striga Luhya l Contact Details © 2005.
African Agricultural
Technology Foundation's (
AATF
Striga Management Project ). |
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