We are happy to announce the relaunch of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026, at 13:00 GMT. Prof. Yukihiro Sugimoto from Kobe University, Japan, will talk about: “Tandem gene duplication drives the molecular evolution of orobanchol in cowpea” and Prof. Qia Wang from the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of […]
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 dehydrocostus lactone (DCL). In non-parasitic […]
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 […]
On Thursday 4 June 2026 the IPPS held an online General Assembly. The date was purposely chosen as it marked the 25th anniversary of the society. On 4 June 2001, at the occasion of the 7th International Parasitic Weed Symposium (meetings that are nowadays called the World Congress on Parasitic Plants, WCPP) , in Nantes, […]
I am beyond thrilled to share with you this exciting news/paper hot off the press: our efforts to propagate Rafflesia, the charismatic, critically endangered “panda of the plant world” and the largest flower on Earth, have finally paid off! Molina, J. et al. (2026) “Growing a plant you cannot see: ex situ propagation of the endoparasite […]
Plants interact ubiquitously with organisms surrounding them through chemical communication, for example through the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by flowers, to attract pollinators. To attain specificity in this relationship, plants may evolve different VOCs for different pollinators. In the present study we investigated the flower VOCs of the root parasitic butterbur broomrape (Orobanche […]
Issue 89 of Haustorium is now available, featuring the latest developments and discoveries in parasitic plant research. Highlights include the first confirmed report of sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana) in North America, raising concerns for sunflower production, and a fascinating feature on the striking purple toothwort. This issue also includes updates on combating Striga, from […]
The 4th International Congress on Strigolactones (ICS2026) will be held in Paris from 5–8 October 2026. The conference focuses on strigolactones as specialised metabolites that function as phytohormones and rhizosphere signals. For further details, please follow the link: https://ics2026.sciencesconf.org/ […]
Striga hermonthica is a major constraint to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly under low-fertility conditions. In this study, we evaluated biological and nutrient-based approaches to suppress Striga and improve sorghum growth. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae significantly reduced Striga emergence (up to 100%) and biomass, while greatly enhancing sorghum growth. The phosphorus-solubilizing bacterium […]
Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of hyperspectral imaging combined with machine learning for identifying and classifying parasitic Cuscuta species. The findings highlight the potential of this approach for rapid, non-destructive field diagnostics and precision agriculture applications. As imaging hardware continues to improve and become more affordable, such integrated systems could be deployed in real-world crop […]