Plant-parasitic plants are fascinating examples of plant evolution. They live in balance with other organisms in natural ecosystems, in contrast to most parasitic weeds that severely attack crops, reducing their yield and rendering agricultural lands uncultivable worldwide. The control of parasitic weeds is challenging because of the lack of control methods that are selective enough […]
Mutants that reveal the secrets of how plants attack? No, it’s not a scene from a science fiction movie, but you could be forgiven for thinking that. Instead, it’s a scene from real life: Researchers Cui et al. at Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan report in a new study in Science Advances […]
Working together with researchers from the University of Tübingen, the University of Tromsø, the UC Davis and the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, biologists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have discovered how tomato plants identify Cuscuta spp. as a parasite. The plant has a protein in its cell walls that is identified as ‘foreign’ by Cuscuta Receptor […]
The International Parasitic Plant Society invites all IPPS members to nominated suitable candidates for the position of Treasurer. The IPPS Treasurer is a member of the Executive Committee and handles all financial matters of the Society. This responsibility includes the collection of membership fees, preparation of annual financial statements, and the administration of the Society’s liquidity (capital situation). The […]
Prof. Dr. Harro Bouwmeester has taken up his work as new president of the IPPS. As head of the society, he will preside the execute committee, appoint special committees, and maintain liaison to ensure Society business. It will be Harro Bouwmeester’s responsibility to keep the Advisory Board and Society members informed of significant Society activities […]
The International Parasitic Plant Society seeks four new members for its Advisory Board and invites all IPPS members to nominate suitable candidates. Advisory Board members are IPPS members with large experience and international network in parasitic plant research. Advisory Board members serve for four years. The IPPS Advisory Board will advise on all matters associated with the […]
The Society is pleased to announce the results of its recent elections for the Executive Committee: Prof. Dr. Harro Bouwmeester (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), is now President. Dr. Jonne Rodenburg (University of Greenwich, UK) has been elected as Vice President. Prof. Dr. Pradeepa Bandaranayake (University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka), will be Member at Large, […]
Published in Field Crop Research, in the September 2020 issue: In a 4-year field experiment in southern Tanzania, different fertilisers were tested to investigate whether they (1) suppress the obligate parasitic weed Striga asiatica and the facultative parasitic weed Rhamphicarpa fistulosa, and (2) favour rainfed rice yields under parasitic weed infestation. We observed that: (1) fertilisers […]
The first committed step of a successful infestation is the germination of parasite seeds primarily in response to a group of related small molecule hormones called strigolactones (SLs), which are emitted by host roots. Despite the important role of strigolactones, it is not clear how host-derived strigolactones germinate parasitic plants. In contrast, gibberellin acts as […]
At the recently concluded Botanical Society of America meeting Roshaniza Rosili (PhD student at University of Brunei- Co supervised by Kushan Tennakoon and Faizah Metali) reported that the photosynthesis of alien invasive Acacia mangium seedlings can be significantly reduced due to parasitism by native Cassytha filiformis. This suggest that the spread of these alien invasive […]