Striga spp. are parasitic weeds that constitute serious production constraints to cereals and legumes in tropical semi-arid regions (mainly Africa). They are sometimes referred to as witchweeds due to their invisible but harmful underground life-cycle stages. Decades of research have resulted in an array of control approaches. However, each one applied as a single control technology will be incapable of providing durable control of this genetically diverse parasitic weed. There is consensus among scientists that more control options need to be explored and that clever integration of some of these technologies is needed to end this ‘witch-hunt’.

This peer-reviewed anthology, resulting from a symposium organized by the editors (Professor Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University and Professor Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science), provides an overview of the state-of-the-art in the understanding of Striga–host interactions and offers a suite of control technologies and ideas for their integration. The book is interesting for both its contents and approach. The editors have tried to emphasize the need to look into all options that might help fighting this menace, including more advanced scientific methods like genetic engineering. The book also discusses projected future distributions of Striga in the light of global climate change, the lack of integration of biological with social sciences in Striga research and the institutional constraints to research and development of integrated Striga control in Africa. Such a multidisciplinary and holistic approach combined with the apparent eagerness of the editors to finally solve the Striga problem makes this a highly recommendable book.