International Parasitic Plant Society

Orobanche cumana (Orobanchaceae), commonly known as broomrape, is an obligate root holoparasitic plant that infests sunflower (Helianthus annuus), causing substantial yield losses in many regions of Europe and Asia. Its seed germination is triggered by chemical signals exuded by sunflower roots, including strigolactones (SLs) and sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) such as dehydrocost...

Striga hermonthica is a destructive parasitic weed that threatens cereal production and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. One promising control method is “Suicidal Germination” which forces Striga seeds to germinate in host’s absence, reducing the soil seed bank. As the efficiency of strigolactones (SLs) is often limited by seed dormancy, we tested whether the ethylene [...]