Population genetic structure in Striga hermonthica

The variable susceptibility of differing <i>Striga hermonthica</i> populations from sub-Saharan Africa to the mycoherbicide <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>strigae </i>(Fos) isolates ‘Foxy-2’ and ‘FK3’, is a crucial constraint that discourages the general acceptance and use of the mycoherbicide. No previous research-based scientific basis explains the worrying phenomenon. Our work shows that genomic variation in <i>S. hermonthica</i> populations, rather than <i>S. hermonthica</i> sampling zones, better explain the variable susceptibility of S. hermonthica to ‘Foxy-2’ and ‘FK3’.