To all parasitic plant enthusiasts/IPPS members: please note that both the date and the venue for 18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP) in Brazil, 2026, have changed. The new date is 31 May till 5 June 2026 and the new venue is the Maresias Beach Hotel in São Sebastião, São Paulo State. Please update your calendars! Information […]

We are pleased to announce the speakers for our December IPPS seminars. First talk: Prof.  Natalia Pabón Mora from the University of Antioquia, Colombia, will talk about “From hidden bodies to normal flowers: The limits of developmental reprogramming in holoparasitic plants” Second talk: Dr. Huiting Zhang, from the Washington State University, USA, will talk about […]

We are delighted to announce the publication of the 88th issue of Haustorium! Please follow the link below to download Haustorium 88. This edition features, among other highlights, a message from the IPPS President with updates on the upcoming WCPP in Brazil; lively discussions of recent literature by Jonathan Gressel, Jeanmaire Molina, and Chris Thorogood; […]

We are pleased to announce the speakers for our November IPPS seminars. First talk: Dr. Guillaume Brun from Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, will talk about “Seed metabolites headstart haustoriogenesis and potentiate aggressiveness of parasitic weeds” Second talk: Dr. Martina Leso, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, will talk about “Regulating haustoria numbers […]

The IPPS October Seminar will again feature two talks: Guojing SHEN from the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, will talk about: ‘Unraveling Cuscuta-host interactions: hormone/receptor-mediated host resistance and dual-functional resin glucosides from Cuscuta’ and Laia JENÉ from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Spain, will talk about: […]

The IPPS September Seminar will feature two talks: Prof. Ai-Rong Li from the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, will talk about: “Unlocking the Cultivation Secrets of a Valuable Root Hemiparasitic Plant Malania oleifera (Olacaceae): From Ecological Adaptation to Molecular Regulation” and Run-Xian Yu from the from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy […]

Prof. Steven Runo from Kenyatta University has been elected to the board of the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (IS-MPMI). His appointment will help to bring more attention to parasitic plant research within the scientific community. Congratulations, Steven, on this well-deserved achievement!   […]

The plant growth regulator zaxinone is essential for proper rice growth and development. Additionally, zaxinone and its two synthetic mimics, MiZax3 and MiZax5, have been shown to significantly promote crop growth and reduce infestation by the root parasitic plant Striga by suppressing strigolactone (SL) production, highlighting their potential for field application. Here, we developed 4 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The IPPS is shifting its main social media presence to Bluesky and LinkedIn. Follow us there to stay updated on the latest parasitic plants and IPPS news.  See you on Bluesky and LinkedIn! […]

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 […]

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., […]

Thanks to requests from our community after Jim Westwood’s IPPS in January, Jim generously offered to share his incredible collection of past WCPP conference posters, meeting photos, and some fascinating insights into the early days of the IPPS he presented in his seminar. You can now find these pictures in the updated society history section […]

Three generations of IPPS presidents, Julie Scholes, Harro Bouwmeester, and current president, Jonne Rodenburg, met recently in Senegal for the Promise II project meeting. Promise II, Promoting Root Microbes for Integrated Striga Eradication, is a Gates Foundation funded project aiming to engineer soil and plant microbiomes to enhance crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, to […]

At about the same time two papers describe the use of gene editing of the strigolactone transporter to reduce strigolactone exudation and thereby introduce parasitic weed resistance in sorghum and tomato. These are: Jiayang Shi, Cuo Mei, Fengyong Ge, Qingliang Hu, Xinwei Ban, Ran Xia, Peiyong Xin, Shujing Cheng, Gaohua Zhang, Jiawei Nie, Shiqi Zhang, […]

First talk: Dr. Begoña Pérez Vich from Spanish National Scientific Research Council will talk about “Genetics of the sunflower – Orobanche cumana parasitic interaction” Second talk: Amal Boukteb, PhD student, National Institute for Agricultural Research of Tunisia will talk about “Vicia faba–Orobanche foetida: Insights into Key Genetic Players” Date: Wednesday, March 5th at Time: 1 […]

The second IPPS online meeting in 2025 featured two excellent presentations on two different parasitic plants. Salma Shahid talked about the fascinating interplay between miRNAs and DNA methylation in the context of Cuscuta and Arabidopsis interactions. Please visit her group webpage to find out more. In the second talk, Jiacheng Ji, a PhD student in […]

The IPPS is shifting its main social media presence to Bluesky and LinkedIn. Follow us there to stay updated on the latest parasitic plants and IPPS news.  See you on Bluesky! […]

(1) Prof. Saima Shahid from The University of Sheffield (UK) will talk about: “The interplay of mobile small RNAs and DNA methylation in Cuscuta parasitism” (2) Jiacheng Ji, PhD student, Inner Mongolia University (China) will talk about: “Genetic diversity, habitat suitability, and bioactive component accumulation of Cynomorium songaricum in China” Date: Wednesday, Feb 5th at […]

“Growing your parasite is part of the art form” – a wonderful IPPS seminar by Jim Westwood about the history of the IPPS and the research on parasitic plants! The community made great strides, but there are still plenty of challenges ahead. It was also fantastic to see such a huge turnout with over 90 […]

We are excited to announce that Prof. Jim Westwood from Virginia Tech will kick off our IPPS seminar series with the first seminar of 2025. He will talk about: “Challenges, progress and potential: Reflections on 30 years in parasitic plant research” Date: Wednesday, January 8th at Time: 1 PM GMT. Local Times: 8 AM in […]

The latest issue of Haustorium (86), edited by Chris Parker, is now available for download! You can find it here: Haustorium 86. A huge thank you to Chris Parker, Lytton Musselman, and everyone else who contributed to this edition! Here is the link to all issues of Haustorium on the IPPS webpage: https://www.parasiticplants.org/haustorium/ […]

We’re thrilled to announce the relaunch of the IPPS Seminar Series to make the wait for the next WCPP a little bit more bearable. We will kick off on January 8th, 2025, with an exciting new format and continue with our familiar first Wednesday-of-the-month schedule throughout the year. The new format will feature a 25-minute […]

RAFFLESIA is a parasitic plant that spends most of its life cycle within its host, a tropical vine, emerging only to bloom. Its flowers are the largest in the world, spanning up to a metre. Despite this, little is known about its life cycle, and it is almost impossible to grow. Half of the Rafflesia […]

The prestigious Pustovoit Award from the International Sunflower Association has been awarded to Begoña Pérez Vich from the IAS-CSIC in Córdoba, Spain. Begoña Pérez Vich is well-known in our society for her work on resistance in sunflowers to the #parasiticplant Orobanche cumana. […]

The IPPS is looking for a person who can help with the maintenance of the IPPS website that runs under WordPress. Activities will include: – technical maintenance of the website – ad hoc trouble shooting – implementing novel features in collaboration with the IPPS Editorial team We anticipate that on average these activities will take […]

As part of a campaign to promote Japan as venue for international meetings a video was made about the 17th World Congress on Parasitic Plants in Nara, Japan See here for the website where the video is posted. […]

As part of a campaign to promote Japan as venue for international meetings a report was made about our last World Congress on Parasitic Plants in Nara: The location was almost ideal for a gathering of international researchers on parasitic plants: the green, garden-like setting of the ancient city of Nara. The venue, the fully-equipped […]

The Society is pleased to announce the results of its recent elections for the Executive Committee that will start its service to the IPPS from 1 August 2024: The position for Treasurer was not up for election, and Prof. dr. Renate Wesselingh (University of Louvain, Belgium) will continue her service to the IPPS in that […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS) has the tradition to award prizes for the best three posters at the World Congress for Parasitic Plants. This year at the 17th WCPP in Nara, poster prizes were awarded to: 1st Poster Prize (500 EUR): Akiyoshi Yoda, Tohoku Univ: Regulation of strigolactone as a symbiotic rhizosphere signal in […]

The 17th World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP) took place in Nara, Japan, from 3-7 June, 2024. About 160 participants from all continents (except Antarctica) attended the meeting, 140 of which on site. The meeting was superbly organised by a local organising team, led by Satoko Yoshida (Chair; NAIST), Atsushi Okazawa (Vice chair; Osaka Metro. […]

We are delighted to announce that the 18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants will take place Ilha Bela, Brazil in 2026. The meeting will be organized in a collaborative effort by Gregorio Ceccantini (USP, Brazil), Domancar Orona-Tamayo (CIATEC, Mexico), and Francisco Fonturbel (PUVC, Chile). We look forward to welcoming many parasitic plant enthusiasts and share exciting […]

We are asking the IPPS community to select the location of the 18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants, scheduled for 2026 to take place in Southern or Northern America. We have two outstanding candidate locations: Ilha Bela, Brazil – organized by Gregorio Ceccantini (USP, Brazil), Domancar Orona-Tamayo (CIATEC, Mexico), and Francisco Fonturbel (PUVC, Chile). San Diego, USA […]

The IPPS General Assembly will be held on Tuesday 4 June from 20.00-21.00 during the WCPP in Nara, Japan. We hope to see many members attend on site. Members that can not attend in person can attend through zoom. You can find the zoomlink on the IPPS website member area. Sign in as member and […]

Molecular biologist Steven Runo once thought that his team would make history as the first to plant gene-edited seeds in African soil. The competition turned out to be stiffer than he’d anticipated. A research group working on maize ‘beat us by two or three months’, says Runo, who works at Kenyatta University in Nairobi and […]

At first glance, Orobanche ramosa looks like an interesting blossoming plant, one that could add a unique flair to flower arrangements. But it’s a parasitic weed that attaches to roots, sucks out nutrients and is threatening California’s lucrative $1.5 billion processing tomato industry. Its resurgence is concern for state regulators and industry, which is helping […]

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – President Joe Biden on Tuesday (Oct. 24) awarded the National Medal of Science to Gebisa Ejeta, Distinguished Professor of Plant Breeding & Genetics and International Agriculture, executive director of the Purdue Center for Global Food Security and Purdue University Presidential Fellow for Food Security and Sustainable Global Development. The award is […]

We are delighted to announce the opening of the polls for the 2024 Executive Committee (EC) election, seeking community-approved individuals to fill the roles of Vice President, Secretary, and two Members at Large. These esteemed positions entail a four-year term, with the exception of the Vice President, who serves an eight-year commitment. This extended tenure […]

The IPPS and the WCPP2024 local organizing committee have awarded six IPPS fellowships to: The IPPS fellowship consists of a 1,000 Euro IPPS contribution to travel costs and WCPP funded waiver of the registration fee. The fellowship is intended for early carrier scientists for applicants coming from low- and middle-income countries. The WCPPs are a […]

We are delighted to announce the commencement of the nomination process for the 2024 Executive Committee (EC) election. This is an exceptional opportunity for committed members like yourself to actively shape the future trajectory and success of our organization. In 2024, the following positions within the IPPS Executive Committee will conclude their term of service: […]

The IPPS and the WCPP2024 local organizing committee offer two types of travel grants for outstanding PhD students and early-career researchers. The WCPPs are a series of biennial meetings with a long tradition, providing opportunities to exchange information and discuss new discoveries among experts of parasitic plants. WCPP17 will cover a wide range of topics […]

The IPPS and the WCPP2024 local organizing committee offer two types of travel grants for outstanding PhD students and early-career researchers. The WCPPs are a series of biennial meetings with a long tradition, providing opportunities to exchange information and discuss new discoveries among experts of parasitic plants. WCPP17 will cover a wide range of topics […]

Registration is now open for the 17th World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP17), which will be held 3-7 June, 2024 in Nara, Japan. IPPS members will receive a discount on the registration fee. Early bird registration deadline : February 29, 2024Regular registration deadline : April 30, 2024Registration deadline for online participants : May 31, 2024 […]

The 5th 2023 IPPS seminar will held on Wednesday 6 December at 4:00 pm central European time. We will have the following talks: Jeanmaire Molina, from Pace University, USA will present work on “Reviving the corpse flower: unraveling the enigmatic biology of the iconic plant parasite Rafflesia for ex situ conservation” Jian You (Eric) Wang, […]

On behalf of the International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS), it is our great pleasure to invite you to the 17th World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP17), which will be held 3-7 June, 2024 in Nara, Japan. The WCPPs are a series of biennial meetings with a long tradition that started in Malta in 1973, providing […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPICI) and McGill University in Canada discovered strong adhesive properties of white-berry mistletoe. The mistletoe berry’s flexible fibers adhere to both skin and cartilage as well as to various synthetic materials and could find application in many fields, such as wound sealant […]

Orobanche minor, small broomrape, is found throughout much of East Africa and parasitizes a diversity of hosts. Of particular interest in Rwanda is its parasitism of Peucedanum linderi, wild celery, a main food of mountain gorillas. Small broomrape parasitizing wild celery in a garden of plants favored by mountain gorillas. The broomrape is just above […]

Parasitic plants have received little attention in Rwanda. Two species of Striga are known and cause considerable crop loss in some regions. Striga hermonthica occurs in the southern part of the country where it has been reported to damage grains. I have seen S. asiatica in the vicinity of the village of Mbyo where families […]

On behalf of the International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS), it is our great pleasure to invite you to the 17th World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP17), which will be held 3-7 June, 2024 in Nara, Japan. The WCPPs are a series of biennial meetings with a long tradition that started in Malta in 1973, providing […]

The Society and the local meeting organizers ask all members to help us find the best meeting data for the next International Congress on Parasitic Plants, to be held in Nara, Japan. Members can access the poll in the member-only section (login required). We have two candidate dates in June or July, 2024. To find […]

It is a tradition to award the best three posters at the World Congress for Parasitic Plants, supported by the International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS). This year at WCPP16 in Nairobi (Kenya), judging was particularly challenging for the jury, as the actual poster presentation by the authors could not be considered in order to ensure […]

At the occasion of the 16th World Congress on Parasitic Plants held 3-8 July 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya, the IPPS has awarded Honorary Fellowships to (from left to right) Julie Scholes, Dan Nickrent, Abdelgabar Babiker (posthumous), Jonathan Gressel and Barach Rubin. They received this award for their service to the society and their important contributions […]

Last week from 3–8 July, 2022 the 16th World Congress on Parasitic Plants was held in Nairobi, Kenya. Over a 100 participants, mostly on site, partially online, listened to a range of scientific presentations on parasitic plants, from wild, endangered, species to damaging agricultural weeds, and from ecology to molecular biology and control. This first […]

The IPPS is providing travel grants to support students and young researchers from developing countries to attend the 16th World Congress on Parasitic Plants in Nairobi. Applicants must comply with the following conditions: You are an Early Career Scientist (e.g. MSc student, Ph.D. student, post-doc) You have registered to attend the WCPP and have submitted […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on April 06, 2022 at 3:00 PM GMT*: Talk #1: Mike Axtell  (PennState University, USA) – Molecular evolution and transcriptional control of trans-species microRNA from Cuscuta campestris Talk #2: Claire Baker & Dave Sands (Toothpick project) – Control […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on April 06, 2022 at 3:00 PM GMT*: Talk #1: Benjamin Thiombiano  (University of Amsterdam, NL) – to be announced Talk #2: Satoshi Ogawa (RIKEN, Japan) – to be announced The Zoom link can be accessed from […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on March 02, 2022 at 3:00 PM GMT*: Talk #1: Luiza Teixeira-Costa  (Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Germany) – New perspectives in haustorium structure and evolution across parasitic flowering plants Talk #2: Runxian Yu (CAS, Beijing) – The minicircular and extremely heteroplasmic mitogenome […]

We are delighted to inform you that the 16th World Congress on Parasitic Plants will be held from 3–8 July, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting will be blended so people can attend on location as well as online. We hope to see as many of you as possible on location to fully use the […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on February 02, 2022 at 3:00 PM GMT*: Talk #1: Dorota Kawa (UC Davis, USA) – Mechanisms of microbe-induced resistance to Striga in sorghum The Zoom link can be accessed from this site in the IPPS Members-only Area (login required). […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on December 1, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT*: Talk #1: Kateřina Knotková (Masaryk University, Czech Republic) – Interactions between parasitic plants and invasive hosts: the experimental evidenceg molecules for combating Striga Talk #2: Emily Bellis (Arkansas State University) – Evolution […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on November 3, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT*: Talk #1: Salim Al-Babili (SA) – Harnessing hormones and signaling molecules for combating Striga Talk #2: Stéphane Muños (FR) – Use of the genetic diversity within Helianthus for the resistance […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on October 6, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (3:00 PM GMT = 8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota, 11:00 AM New York; 12:00AM Brasilia/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the next round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on September 1, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the fourth round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on August 2, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM […]

IPPS Online Seminar Series August 4, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM (next day) Canberra) Climate change is triggering ecological responses all over the world as a result […]

IPPS Online Seminar Series August 4, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM (next day) Canberra) Cuscuta campestris is a stem parasite that attaches to its host, using haustoria […]

K.C. Burns, International Journal for Parasitology Parasite virulence often differs between male and female hosts. However, less is known about how virulence might differ between male and female parasites. Here, I show that female plants of the dioecious mistletoe Misodendrum quadrifolium (Misodendraceae) grow larger than male plants. Correspondingly, females reduce the photosynthetic capacity of infected […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the third round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on July 07, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, […]

IPPS Online Seminar Series July 07, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM (next day) Canberra) The Apodanthaceae comprises two genera and eleven endoholoparasitic species. The exclusively […]

IPPS Online Seminar Series July 07, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM (next day) Canberra) Cuscuta campestris is an obligate parasitic plant that requires a host […]

Dr Steven Runo in a crop field with parasitic weed Striga. Image credits: Joel Masanga […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the second round of talks of the IPPS Online Seminar Series on June 2, 2021, at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM […]

IPPS Online Seminar June 2, 2021, at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM (next day) Canberra). Development of haustorium in parasitic plants involves intimate signaling interaction between host […]

IPPS Online Seminar June 2, 2021, at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM (next day) Canberra). Cuscuta (dodder) species are worldwide distributed parasitic plants. Using a special organ, […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society is pleased to host the first IPPS Online Seminar Series. International scientific exchange on the basis of regular society meetings and conferences is hindered by the Covid19 pandemic. The IPPS Online Seminar Series offers Society members an opportunity to learn about the most recent developments in parasitic plant research from […]

IPPS online seminar May 12, 2021 at 3:00 PM GMT (8:00 AM Los Angeles, 10:00 AM Bogota/Brasilia, 11:00 AM New York/Santiago, 4:00 PM Abuja/London, 5:00 PM Amsterdam/Berlin/Cape Town, 6:00 PM Nairobi/Tel Aviv, 11:00 PM Beijing, 12:00 AM Tokio, 01:00 AM (next day) Canberra). The Orobanchaceae are obligate root parasitic plants that are completely dependent on a […]

Information on parasitic and non-parasitic weed occurrence within croplands is vital but is often unavailable to support weeding practices and improve cropland productivity assessments. Until now, few studies have been conducted to estimate weed abundances within agroecological systems from spaceborne images over wide-area landscapes, particularly for the genus Striga. In this study, we attempt to […]

Together with the organizers, the IPPS Executive Committee has decided to postpone the 16th World Congress of Parasitic Plants (WCPP) to 2022, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya. As Covid19 case numbers continue to surge in many parts of the world, it is unlikely that pandemic-related travel restrictions will be relieved soon, preventing many members […]

Professor Renate Wesselingh (UC Louvain, Belgium) complete the Society’s Executive Committee as the new Treasurer, voted into office with 67 %. Renate graduated as an ecologist from the University’s of Groningen (NL) and Leiden (NL) and gathered postdoc experience in Costa Rica and the USA. Since 2000, Renate is a professor in Belgium, where her work […]

The members of the International Society of Parasitic Plants have confirmed the IPPS Advisory Board with great majority and voted its distinguished members Koichi Yoneyama (Ehime University, Japan), Neelima Sinha (UC Davis, USA), Julie Scholes (The University of Sheffield, UK), and Jim Westwood (Virginia Tech, USA) into office. Together, these members form an advisory body for the Executive Committee for all matters […]

A famous mistletoe auction has been cancelled this year for the first time in 160 years. The Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Festival, which celebrates the town’s connection to the sale of holly and mistletoe – and goes back more than ahundred years – has also had to be cancelled. A spokesperson for the Tenbury Wells Mistletoe […]

Striga is a devastating parasitic weed that attacks food crops in sub-Saharan Africa such as rice, sorghum and millet. It affects 40% of Africa’s arable savanna region, and is a major cause of food insecurity and poverty. Tackling the plant health problems experienced by rural susbistence farmers requires an extra level of local collaboration and […]

The Society asks all its members to approve the new IPPS Advisory Board. According to the majority of nominations, the IPPS Advisory Board should consist of four of its distinguished members: Koichi Yoneyama (Ehime University, Japan), Neelima Sinha (UC Davis, USA), Julie Scholes (The University of Sheffield, UK), and Jim Westwood (Virginia Tech, USA). In […]

The International Parasitic Plant Society asks all its member to vote a new IPPS treasurer. Three candidates, Professor Rosemary Ahom (Nigeria), Professor Ahmed Uludag (Turkey), and Prof. Renate Wesselingh (Belgium) put themselves up for election. Their profiles are available at the Society’s new polling page in the members area. Clicking here or on any of […]

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, […]

The IPPS Executive Committee is pleased to invite all members to the first online General Assembly of the IPPS on Tuesday, 25 August 2020, 3.00-4.30 pm CET. As indicated on the IPPS Constitution, we aim to organize our General Assembly more regularly. Therefore, we have decided to organize an online General Assembly every two years, […]

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. […]

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 […]

Nairobi, Kenya, has been selected as the next venue for the 16th World Congress on Parasitic Plants!  Nairobi is a major conference destination, which has been named Africa’s leading business destination twice by the Annual World Travel Award. The city is well served by a superb network of air, road and rail transport. The main […]

The Witcher series is a Polish and literary phenomenon written by Andrzej Sapkowski. Here’s a little background; a Striga, from what we know, is a woman that’s been cursed to transform into a horrid creature at night. Want to read more? See Haustorium 77, available in the Member area. […]

Viscum album, the only native British mistletoe, is rich in associated folklore, and commercially important for the Christmas markets and its medicinal uses. Like all mistletoes, it is a hemiparasite, photosynthetic, and attached only to the host xylem, initial contact with which stimulates hypertrophy of the host tissue. It is hence a gallcauser, inducing variable […]

Kakamega Forest Senior Manager George Aimo said the dodder plant is a major threat to trees and crops. When Samuel Onyango, a smallholder farmer from Kisumu County, first noticed yellowish spaghetti-like leafless vines hanging loosely on his fence some three years ago, he did not bother about them. Little did he know that it was […]

My research in parasitic plant biology encompasses the broad diversity of these plants, from mistletoes, to the cryptic Rafflesiaceae, and the widely known Cuscuta. Using a variety of methods, from plant morphology and physiology, to phylogenetic analyses, I investigate haustorium development and evolution across the different clades among which parasitic plants have evolved. I’m also interested […]

Link to paper By: Nathan R Johnson, Claude W dePamphilis, Michael J Axtell Trans-species small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are delivered to host plants from diverse pathogens and parasites and can target host mRNAs. How trans-species sRNAs can be effective on diverse hosts has been unclear. Multiple species of the parasitic plant Cuscuta produce trans-species sRNAs that collectively target many […]

Link to paper by: Mounia Ennami, Joseph Mbasani-mansi, Fatima Zahra Briache, Nada Oussible, Fatima Gaboun, Lamiae Ghaouti, Loubna Belqadi, Michel Edmond Ghanem, Kamal Aberkani, James Westwood, Rachid Mentag   Orobanche infections reduce biomass of hosts at the first stages of infection on both contrasting faba bean cultivars. It is likely that plant growth-defense tradeoffs have a […]