Parasitic plants use virulence factors (VFs), including proteins, RNAs and small molecules, to successfully infect a host plant. To reach host cells, VFs must be released from parasite cells. In the case of proteinaceous VFs, one major determinant of secretion is the presence of an N-terminal secretion signal in the peptide sequence. Algorithms that predict […]

Functional Ecology, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14658 1. Plants infected by parasitic species might be further stressed by climate warming as both factors can influence the host plant’s nutrient acquisition and growth. The root economics space, defined by root functional traits, reflects a plant’s nutrient acquisition strategy. However, the combined effects of warming and parasitism on root functional traits and their positions within […]

Ecology, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4418 Common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) can link multiple plants and distribute nutrients among them. However, how parasitic plants regulate the carbon and nutrient exchange between CMNs and the linked plants is unknown. Thus, we conducted a container experiment with two Trifolium pratense grown in two plastic cores and connected only by CMNs using a 25-μm nylon fabric in […]

Applied Soil Ecology, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105583 Parasitic plants can mediate soil conditioning by invasive and native host plant species, but how this may affect the competitive ability of these plants when they later grow in the conditioned soil has never been tested. This study tested whether soil conditioned by three invasive and three native plant species, either parasitized […]

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I am pleased to share our latest publication on strigolactone (SL) biosynthesis in rice: DOI: 10.1111/nph.20135 […]

Emeline N. Dossa, Hussein Shimelis, and Admire I. T Shayanowako School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa This study reports novel QTL and related genes for Striga asiatica and S. hermonthica resistance in maize. No QTL associated with dual resistance was found, suggesting that […]

Crystalline ZIF-8 (C-ZIF-8) and amorphous ZIF-8 (Am-ZIF-8) were prepared and investigated to control the germination of Strigahermonthica, a root parasitic plant, which threatens cereal cropsproduction particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We have demonstratedthat Am-ZIF-8 shows a better performance than C-ZIF-8 in inhibitingStriga seeds germination. This efficient performance of Am-ZIF-8materials can be attributed to the incomplete deprotonation […]

Emeline N. Dossa*, Hussein Shimelis, Admire I. T. Shayanowako In this study, genetically diverse and complementary lines were selected among tropical and sub-tropical maize populations that will facilitate the breeding of maize varieties with Striga resistance and market-preferred traits. Fig 3. Sub-population inference among the 126 maize genotypes based on 16000 SNPs: (A) likelihood and […]