Striga hermonthica, a root parasitic weed from the Orobanchaceae family, devastates cereals yields and is, therefore, one of the major biological threats to global food security. Herein, we uncover a role of abscisic acid (ABA) as a rhizospheric signal that is involved in controlling Striga seed germination, Striga/Striga and Striga/host interactions. We propose that ABA serves as a rhizospheric communication signal that provides an advantage for germinated Striga seeds in competing with un-conditioned ones and facilitates host infestation, besides its general role as inhibitor of seed germination. The manuscript can be found at : https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16610
