Background Cuscuta, a parasitic plant species in the Convolvulaceae family, grows in many countries and regions. However, the relationship between some species is still unclear. Therefore, more studies are needed to assess the variation of the chloroplast (cp) genome in Cuscuta species and their relationship with subgenera or sections, thus, providing important information on the […]
Cuscuta campestris produces many unique microRNAs only at the haustorial interface with hosts. Our previously published work showed that these interface-induced microRNAs can target host messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The targeted host mRNAs generally function in immune responses, vascular system functions, or hormone signal transduction. Our overall hypothesis is that the Cuscuta interface-induced microRNAs act in […]
The 4th 2023 monthly IPPS seminar will be combined with the IPPS General Assembly on Wednesday 5 July at 4:00 pm central European time. We will have the following talks: Elvin Elizabeth Mulaa – Genetic diversity, Virulence and Cross-host interactions of Striga hermonthica and Natsumi Aoki – Multiple signaling pathways for prehaustorium induction in Orobanchaceae parasitic plants […]
Root parasitic plants of the Orobanchaceae, broomrapes and witchweeds, pose a severe problem to agriculture in Europe, Asia, and especially Africa. These parasites are totally dependent on their host for survival, and therefore their germination is tightly regulated by host presence. Indeed, their seeds remain dormant in the soil until a host root is detected […]
Mistletoe is often associated with Christmas, yet native mistletoe is something of an unsung hero when it comes to woodland birds. It provides food, shelter, and nest sites, including for the critically endangered regent honeyeater, but repeated bushfires in recent years have wiped it out from a key breeding area in New South Wales’ Lower […]
Although Haustorium does no longer cover the literature on the use of parasitic plants in medicine It is very striking, however, how the literature on therapeutic uses dominates the literature. Are parasitic plants over-represented simply because their lifestyle suggests special properties? Or are they really special? For further reading see Haustorium 83 […]
James Bradley and Sylvia Mutunda The 3rd 2023 monthly IPPS seminar will be held Wednesday 7 June at 4:00 pm central European time. You can use this website for time zone conversion. The next seminar will take place on 5 July, combined with the IPPS General Assembly. On 7 June we will have the following […]
Introduction: Parasitic plants can damage crop plants and consequently cause yield losses and thus threaten food security. Resource availability (e.g., phosphorus, water) has an important role in the response of crop plants to biotic attacks. However, how the growth of crop plants under parasitism are affected by environmental resource fluctuation is poorly understood. Methods: We […]
Hanan Eizenberg and Ahmet Uludag The 2nd 2023 monthly IPPS seminar will be held Wednesday 3 May at 4:00 pm central European time. You can use this website for time zone conversion. The next seminars will take place on 7 June and 5 July, combined with the IPPS General Assembly. On 3 May we will […]
After a break, in which we had the 16th World Congress on Parasitic Plants in Nairobi, Kenya, the Executive Committee of the IPPS is happy to announce we are resuming our monthly IPPS seminar series, starting Wednesday 5 April. As with the previous series, talks will be every 1st Wednesday of the month at 4:00 […]