IPPS Online Seminar on July 2nd, 2025, by Bing Wang and Tao Chen

The IPPS July Seminar will feature two talks on broomrapes:: Prof. Bing Wang from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences will talk about: “Manipulation of a strigolactone transporter in tomato confers resistance to the parasitic weed broomrape” and Prof. Tao Chen from the Hangzhou Normal […]

From Haustorium 87: Strigolactone transporter gene editing results in parasitic weed resistance in sorghum and tomato. The parasitic weed problem solved?

picture paper Xinwei Ban

Jiayang Shi et al., 2025. Resistance to Striga parasitism through reduction of strigolactone exudation. Cell, 2025, ISSN 0092-8674, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.01.022 Xinwei Ban et al., 2025. Manipulation of a strigolactone transporter in tomato confers resistance to the parasitic weed broomrape. The Innovation, 2025, 100815, ISSN 2666-6758, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2025.100815. At about the same time these two papers show once […]

From Haustorium 87: Lost for 85 years: Sapria himalayana rediscovered in Arunachal’s Eaglenest Sanctuary

Last recorded in 1938 near Rupa in the Aka Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, Sapria himalayana has remained one of the most elusive members of the Rafflesiaceae family. Sapria himalayana, the cousin of the world’s largest flower, Rafflesia, was first discovered in the Mishmi Hills of Arunachal Pradesh by British botanist William Griffith in 1836. Despite its […]

IPPS Online Seminar on June 4th, 2025, by Jessy Lasky and Yu Feifei

The IPPS June Seminar will feature two talks on Striga: Prof. Jessy Lasky from the Pennsylvania State University will talk about: “Genetics, physiology, and evolution of sorghum resistance and striga host adaptation” and Prof. Yu Feifei from the China Agricultural University will talk about: “Resistance to Striga parasitism through reduction of strigolactone exudation” Date: Wednesday, […]

IPPS Online Seminar on May 7th, 2025, by Junkun Lu and Xinhua Zhang

Our IPPS May Seminar will feature two talks about the parasitic tree sandalwood. First talk: Prof. Junkun Lu from the Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry will talk about: “Synergistic parasitism of mixed rosewood-sandalwood plantation in China” Second talk: Prof. Xinhua Zhang, from the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences […]

18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants – June 2026

We are excited to share that the 18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants will be held at the Instituto Bahia dos Vermelhos in Ilhabela, Brazil, from June 14 to June 20, 2026. Join us for a week of presentations and networking as we explore advancements in parasitic plant research. Save the date, and stay tuned […]

April IPPS Online Seminars on Mistletoes

Mistletoes: keystone species that shape ecosystems and excel at water transpiration and stomatal conductance! The April IPPS mistletoe seminar featured two insightful talks from Francisco Forturbel and Xian-Yan Huang, who kindly stepped in for Yun-Bing Zhang. Check out their recent papers to follow up on their talks: Olivares GS, et al. 2025. and Zhang YB […]

IPPS Online Seminar on April 2nd, 2025, by Francisco Fontúrbel and Yun-Bing Zhang

First talk: Dr. Francisco Fontúrbel from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Chile will talk about: “Mistletoe-driven facilitation at the limit of life in Patagonia” Second talk: Dr. Yun-Bing Zhang, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, will talk about “Survival secrets of mistletoes: high drought tolerance in aerial habitats” Date: Wednesday, April […]

March IPPS Seminars by Begoña Pérez Vich and Amal Boukteb

For our IPPS March Online Seminar, we had again two wonderful talks and a strong turnout from our IPPS community. Dr. Begoña Pérez Vich presented her research on the sunflower-Orobanche cumana interaction. If you’re interested in the mapping of Avirulence genes, please check out her recent publication in BMC Plant Biology (Calderón-González Á et al., […]