Abstract
Parasitic angiosperms, comprising a diverse group of flowering plants, are partially or fully dependent on their hosts to acquire water, mineral nutrients and organic compounds. Some have detrimental effects on agriculturally important crop plants. They are also intriguing model systems to study adaptive mechanisms required for the transition from an autotrophic to a heterotrophic metabolism. No less than any other plant, parasitic plants are affected by abiotic stress factors such as drought and changes in temperature, saline soils or contamination with metals or herbicides. These effects may be attributed to the direct influence of the stress, but also to diminished host availability and suitability. Although several studies on abiotic stress response of parasitic plants are available, still little is known about how abiotic factors affect host preferences, defense mechanisms of both hosts and parasites and the effects of combinations of abiotic and biotic stress experienced by the host plants. The latter effects are of specific interest as parasitic plants pose additional pressure on contemporary agriculture in times of climate change. This review summarizes the existing literature on abiotic stress response of parasitic plants, highlighting knowledge gaps and discussing perspectives for future research and potential agricultural applications.
Highlights
Introduction to Parasitic Flowering PlantsAccepted: 8 July 2021Parasitic flowering plants comprise a group of an estimated 4000 species in more than 20 plant families, or approximately 1.5% of the known vascular plant species [1]
The aim of the present review is to summarize the scarce existing reports on the effects of abiotic stress on parasitic plants and the interaction with their hosts, highlighting the need for further research to (1) increase basic knowledge of host-parasite interactions under abiotic stress and (2) to better understand the potentially combined effects of abiotic stress in conjunction with parasite pressure on agriculture
Parasitic plants may be affected by abiotic stress factors in a similar way as their hosts, e.g., by constraints of seed germination and seedling development due to drought and/or salinity, or indirectly, i.e., due to host-related constraints
Summary
Parasitic flowering plants comprise a group of an estimated 4000 species in more than 20 plant families, or approximately 1.5% of the known vascular plant species [1] These highly specialized plants are characterized by partial or complete loss of photosynthetic ability and depend on their hosts for photosynthates, mineral nutrients and water [2]. Despite several anatomical and developmental differences, haustoria establish direct connection between the xylem and/or the phloem of the host and the parasite, to provide bidirectional flow of water, minerals and macromolecules including proteins, mRNAs [7,8] and genetic material, enabling horizontal gene transfer [9,10]. The aim of the present review is to summarize the scarce existing reports on the effects of abiotic stress on parasitic plants and the interaction with their hosts, highlighting the need for further research to (1) increase basic knowledge of host-parasite interactions under abiotic stress and (2) to better understand the potentially combined effects of abiotic stress in conjunction with parasite pressure on agriculture
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