A survey carried out in 1984 showedStriga hermonthica(Del.) Benth. to be widespread and severely infesting sorghum, millets and maize. About 75% of 700 fields covered were infected at an average rate of 1–2 shoots per m2. Maize was the least attacked cereal followed by early millet, late millet and sorghum, in order of increasing attack. The best traditional cropping system with regard to reducingStrigapopulations was to rotate early millet and groundnuts over a single season, allowing cattle to graze the cereal stubble and then tethering them in the field at night during the off‐season. There was no direct relationship between rainfall and temperatures and density ofStriga.