Abstract
Parasitic plants rely on neighboring host plants to complete their life cycle, forming vascular connections through which they withdraw needed nutritive resources. In natural ecosystems, parasitic plants form one component of the plant community and parasitism contributes to overall community balance. In contrast, when parasitic plants become established in low biodiversified agroecosystems, their persistence causes tremendous yield losses rendering agricultural lands uncultivable. The control of parasitic weeds is challenging because there are few sources of crop resistance and it is difficult to apply controlling methods selective enough to kill the weeds without damaging the crop to which they are physically and biochemically attached. The management of parasitic weeds is also hindered by their high fecundity, dispersal efficiency, persistent seedbank, and rapid responses to changes in agricultural practices, which allow them to adapt to new hosts and manifest increased aggressiveness against new resistant cultivars. New understanding of the physiological and molecular mechanisms behind the processes of germination and haustorium development, and behind the crop resistant response, in addition to the discovery of new targets for herbicides and bioherbicides will guide researchers on the design of modern agricultural strategies for more effective, durable, and health compatible parasitic weed control.
Highlights
1% of all angiosperms are parasitic on other plants and these plants are distributed among 28 dicotyledonous families having evolved the parasitic lifestyle independently at least12 times [1,2,3,4,5]
Parasitic plants can be grouped by their photosynthesis competency, being either photosynthetically active hemiparasites or achlorophyllous holoparasites; or separated based upon the type of vascular connections they form with their host, being either xylem feeders or phloem feeders
The most notable advancements that have occurred in recent years is our better understanding the underlying chemical, molecular, and genetic factors that control pre- and post-attachment interactions between the parasite and its potential host plant; in particular, the exchange of small molecules, protein effectors, and small regulatory RNAs between parasite and host that define compatibility or incompatibility
Summary
1% of all angiosperms are parasitic on other plants and these plants are distributed among 28 dicotyledonous families having evolved the parasitic lifestyle independently at least. Parasitic plants can be grouped by their photosynthesis competency, being either photosynthetically active hemiparasites or achlorophyllous holoparasites; or separated based upon the type of vascular connections they form with their host, being either xylem feeders or phloem feeders They can be grouped by the host plant organ to which they attach, either root feeders or shoot feeders [4,6]. To extract nutrients from the host plants, parasitic weeds have evolved a unique amulticellular unique multicellular termed the haustorium that the invades host, forms connections structurestructure termed the haustorium that invades host, the forms connections with the with host the host vascular system, and withdraws needed and[7,8].
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