Fertilisers differentially affect facultative and obligate parasitic weeds of rice and only occasionally improve yields in infested fields

Jonne Rodenburg •
Parasitic-weeds-inrice

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 […]

SMAX1-dependent seed germination bypasses GA signalling in Arabidopsis and Striga

Shelley Lumba •
Screen Shot 2020-08-12 at 5.46.34 PM

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 […]

Impacts of Cassytha on Alien Invasive Acacias

Kushan Tennakoon •
Cassytha filiformis

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 […]

Election of Secretary of the IPPS

IPPS Admin •

The Society asks all its members to elect a new Secretary of the IPPS by August 12, 2020 using the following link: https://forms.gle/kjukWEqFuHQvTXfX6 The nominees for this position are: (in alphabetical order of their family name) – Dr. Ahmet Auludag, Professor at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey – Dr Mónica Fernández-Aparicio, Researcher at Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, CSIC, in Córdoba, Spain – Dr. […]

Election of Vice President of the IPPS

IPPS Admin •

The Society asks all its members to elect a new Vice President of the IPPS by August 12, 2020 under the following link: https://forms.gle/zRouFZvSbbxZw14g9 The nominees for this position are: (in alphabetical order of their family name) – Dr. Markus Albert, Full Professor at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany – Dr. Jonne Rodenburg, Associate Professor at University of Greenwich, UK […]

Science and application of strigolactones

Ernest Aliche •
Science and application of strigolactones

When Cook et al. discovered strigol in 1966 they probably did not imagine the prospects of their newfound molecule. Strigol turned out to be a member of a whole class of molecules, the strigolactones (SLs). SLs are plant hormones that regulate shoot branching and root architecture. Ex planta, in the soil surrounding the roots of […]

Mixed outcomes from conservation practices on soils and Striga-affected yields of a low-input, rice–maize system in Madagascar

Jonne Rodenburg •

Upland rice farmers in Africa may reduce soil erosion and drudgery of soil tillage following Conservation Agriculture, combining no-till with legume cover crops. It mitigates Striga asiatica infestation and damage, but complementary technologies are required to raise crop yields. Read the Open Access publications: Mixed outcomes from conservation practices on soils and Striga-affected yields of […]

Dodder and host plants exchange large amount of proteins

Jianqiang Wu •

The Jianqiang Wu group (Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; www.wu-lab.org) reported that large numbers of proteins can be transported between the dodder Cuscuta australis and its host plant. Their proteomic analyses showed that hundreds to more than 1500 proteins moved between dodder and host plants, and hundreds of foreign proteins can even […]