Farmers in Africa call the striga plant by the name witchweed. It grows a pleasant looking purple flower. But it attacks many crops in the grass family. Witchweed is among the few flowering weeds that act as parasites on other plants.
在非洲，农民们将一种寄生草Striga叫作独脚金。它会长出漂亮的紫色花朵，但它会攻击禾本科类的许多作物。独脚金是为数不多的一种寄生于其它植物的开花类杂草。
Every year it causes six to seven billion dollars in damage to African grain sorghum. Sorghum is important to the local food supply. The witchweed steals water and nutrients from the roots and attacks the sorghum with a poisonous substance.
每年，有价值六十至七十亿美元的非洲高粱受其破坏，高粱是当地粮食供应的重要来源。独脚金从高粱的根部汲取水分和营养物质，并且释放有毒物质攻击高粱。
Now, scientists say they have produced seeds that can protect sorghum crops from witchweed.
现在，科学家表示他们已经生产出能够保护高粱免受其害的种子。
Kassim Al-Katib is a weed expert at Kansas State University in the United States. Mitch Tuinstra is a genetics and plant-breeding expert formerly that cames a at Kansas State but now at Purdue University in Indiana.
Kassim Al-Katib是美国Kansas州立大学的杂草专家。Mitch Tuinstra是前Kansas州遗传与作物育种专家，现任职于印第安纳州Purdue大学。
To deal with witchweed, they developed special sorghum-seed genes. These genes can accept carefully chosen chemical herbicides without being harmed. The researchers placed the herbicides on the sorghum seeds. Kassim al-Katib said the seeds kill the witchweed as the sorghum grows.
为了应对独角金，他们研制了特殊高粱种基因。这些基因能够经受精选的化学除草剂而有受损害。研究人员将除草剂喷洒于高粱种上。Kassim al-Katib表示，这些种子将在高粱成长时杀死独脚金。
Herbicide: 除草剂
posted @ 2008-06-30 21:58
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