IATITCHWEED (Striga asiatica) was first collected and identified in V Vthe United States during the late summer of 1956. This parasite attacks the roots of plants primarily in the family Gramineae. In the United States it appears to be a potential threat to the corn and grain sorghum crops. The seed of this annual germinates under very exacting conditions and can attach itself to a growing root tip of a host plant. Infestations build up, and spread is by seed which are produced in abundance. Beginning infestations may cause a few stunted crop plants while older infestations may cover several acres or entire fields and completely kill the host plants before they can produce a crop. The USDA Plant Pest Control Division, working cooperatively with state regulatory agencies and land-grant colleges, assumed responsibility for regulatory and survey activities. Intensive surveys in North and South Carolina uncovered 1739 infested properties in 1957 and an additional 2188 in 1958. During the summer growing season of 1959, 2167 more such properties were surveyed, making a total of 6094 known infestations in the two states. An infested property is considered as a farm, or similar area, known to have witchweed on it. The total known land infested or subject to immediate infestation is about 116,000 acres. When witchweed is discovered in a field, although the infested area is only a few hundred square feet, the entire field unit is considered as infested acreage. The general area of infestation includes 15 counties in southeastern North Carolina and seven adjoining counties in northeastern South Carolina. About 75% of the infested properties are located in four North Carolina counties and one South Carolina county. In addition to these two states, intensive to light survey work has been done in several other states, with all reports negative. A major effort in 1957 was to learn to identify the weed, to establish a quarantine and to define the general area of infestation. In 1958 a control program utilizing the "catch crop" system was undertaken on about 1,000 acres. A "catch crop" involves planting a host, such as corn, to encourage the germination of witchweed seed and then plowing in both the corn and witchweed plants before new witchweed seeds are formed. A second "catch crop" of corn, grain sorghum or millet is handled in the same manner and is followed in the fall with a cover crop of oats. The farmer, under a cooperative agreement, furnishes the service, seed and fertilizer. He is supervised by the USDA Plant Pest Control Division and is reimbursed to do the work. No crop is harvested following the use