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 […]
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 […]
Parasitic plants initiate parasitism in response to haustorium-inducing factors (HIFs). Orobanchaceae hemiparasites recognise lignin-derived quinones and phenolic HIFs. Since lignin is widely conserved among vascular plants, including parasitic species, it was a mystery for a long time why parasitic plants do not form haustoria on their own or on closely-related parasitic species. We identified a […]
In the misty rainforests of southern Chile, we have discovered a crucial shift in the forest’s food web as we go higher into the mountains. We studied two types of mistletoe, which are parasitic plants. In the lowlands, a generalist mistletoe thrives on many tree species, while a picky, specialist mistletoe only grows on beech […]
Forwarding message: On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to cordially invite you and welcome you to the “4thInternational Congress on Strigolactones (ICS)”, which will be held in Paris, FRANCE, from 5 to 8 October 2026. All the information about travel, abstract submission, detailed scientific program, and registration is available on the website. Please see: https://ics2026.sciencesconf.org/ The scientific program […]
We’re soon (31 Dec.) closing our parasitic weed survey 🌻 🌾 ☘️ . Please help us to bring this one more time to the attention of (field crop) farmers 🚜 and agronomists across Europe and request their participation!The survey (at tinyurl.com/parasiticweeds) is available in 8 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Portuguese and Dutch), […]
In the dry landscapes of north-central Chile, a large rainfall unexpectedly changed the rules of survival for two local mistletoe species. Researchers found that the heavy winter rains caused one mistletoe to produce fewer flowers, while the other flourished, producing more flowers and fruit. This difference had a ripple effect on the local wildlife. The […]
From November 5 to 7, 2025, the inaugural National Symposium on Parasitic Plants was successfully held at Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The symposium was co-chaired by Professor Jianqiang Wu and Professor Airong Li, both from the host institute. The event brought together leading researchers in the field of parasitic plant […]