Researchers work against weeds #IITA #NIGERIA

RESEARCHERS have commended the Director General of the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan,
Oyo State, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, for rejuvenating the
weeds science programme, just as they called for concerted
efforts to tackle the menace of weeds in Africa.
The researchers, who are members of the IITA Steering
Committee on Cassava Weed Management Project, said
during their inaugural meeting that unless the problem of
weed in farmers' field is addressed, Africa would not
maximize the gains of crop improvement.
However, they commended IITA for its new research agenda
of investing in weed science and bringing weed science - a
very important but often neglected component of agronomy
- to the front burner, and for supporting partners in tackling
the problem.
Under the new research focus, IITA committed to reviving its
weed management research, rehabilitating an office
building, procuring equipment and hiring staff. The Deputy
Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM),
Prof. John Adisa Ayoade, also commended IITA for
investing in weed science and called on other institutions to
emulate it.
He urged the IITA Cassava Weed Management Project to
include graduate students to develop the critical human
capital that would take research on weed science forward,
considering that current weed scientists in Africa were
aging.
Also commending IITA for its renewed attention on weed
science, Project Leader, Cassava Weed Management, Dr
Alfred Dixon, explained that integrated weed management
practices, including the use of herbicides that meet global
conventions and safety thresholds appropriate for
stakeholders, would be crucial in making weed control in
cassava more efficient and effective.