Haustorium 41 July 2002 - 1 - HAUSTORIUM Parasitic Plants Newsletter Official Organ of the International Parasitic Plant Society
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Haustorium 41 July 2002 - 1 - HAUSTORIUM Parasitic Plants Newsletter Official Organ of the International Parasitic Plant Society July 2002 Number 41 STATUS OF HAUSTORIUM A MESSAGE FROM THE NEW EDITOR The banner above shows that Haustorium is Dear readers, now the official organ of the International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS) which has You may notice some changes in this 41st issue effectively replaced the shadowy (but of Haustorium as compared to previous ones. effective!) Parasitic Seed Plant Research This issue marks the official union of Group. The format remains the same for the Haustorium with the IPPS, and reflects time being but we welcome Jim Westwood, increased IPPS involvement in producing what Editor of IPPS, as an additional editor and he is now our Society’s newsletter. You will will in due course be introducing new features, notice a new item, the President’s Message, as indicated by his personal message below. written by IPPS President Andr¾ Fer. We plan to continue this as regular component of We are pleased to acknowledge that Old Haustorium and to look for other features that Dominion University is once again supporting will be of interest and continue to provide the printing and mailing of this issue of value for all parasitic plant researchers. Haustorium. To help guide this “evolution of the The future circulation of the newsletter has yet Haustorium” we are establishing an Editorial to be decided and there are some doubts Board, composed of scientists representing a whether non-members of IPPS will continue to variety of disciplines and geographical receive Haustorium, especially if they wish to distribution. The Editorial Board will consider receive hard copy, rather than the electronic issues related to Haustorium content, offer version. Many readers are already receiving suggestions on new features, and generate Haustorium by Email. If any more of you wish and/or review articles in their area of expertise. to do so, please let Chris Parker know (Email address on the last page). Bear in mind that Of course, one should not tamper recklessly having an electronic version of the newsletter with something that has worked so well for also enables you to ‘search’. many years. Rather, we hope to build on the strengths of Haustorium by involving more The web-site version of this issue and past IPPS members as contributors. This is one of issues of Haustorium are now available on our best ways to communicate as a society and http://web.odu.edu/haustorium, and on the we welcome ideas and feedback from all of IPPS site – http://www.ppws.vt.edu/IPPS/ you. Jim Westwood Haustorium 41 July 2002 - 2 - IPPS NEWS Message from thePresident Another challenge for the parasitic plant research community is to understand why, The International Parasitic Plant society (IPPS) within the same host crop species, some was inaugurated last year during the Seventh genotypes are resistant while other are International Parasitic Weed Symposium in susceptible. Competition between host and Nantes and was registered in Amsterdam parasitic sinks may be a decisive factor in during the summer. The founders of IPPS were determining susceptibility or resistance of the primarily interested in stimulating the host to root-holoparasites that obtain their development of research in the extraordinary nutrients mainly from the phloem of the field of parasitic flowering plants. We hope parasitized plants. Composition of host xylem that formalizing a society that has existed sap (mainly the C:N ratio of transported informally for many years will provide both substances) depends on the sink strength of the stability and renewed energy to carry us host root and can affect the nutritional balance through the coming years. of xylem-taping root-hemiparasites. Histological and cellular responses related to One of the aims of the new society was to resistance are regularly observed. But are these continue the invaluable work that Lytton responses the cause or the consequence of Musselman and Chris Parker have put into resistance? Finally, are phytoalexins involved editing the Haustorium newsletter for many in resistance to parasitic plants? When the years. But, of course, the activity of the society main factors responsible for resistance to a should not be limited to publishing parasite are clearly identified and understood, Haustorium. It is also necessary to promote then we will be able to design crop genotypes interdisciplinary research to significantly exhibiting stable polygenic resistance. Here improve our understanding of parasitic plants. again, studies of the mechanisms of resistance Several parasitic plant genera have a severe require a highly interdisciplinary program. impact on the production of major crops. Surely existing approaches (mainly chemical) If the molecular dialogue resulting in host for controlling such pests can be further parasite association (including understanding improved, but new control strategies that of mechaisms of resistance to root-parasites) is would be acceptable for the development of a very important topic, it is also clear that sustainable agriculture are also needed. For studies need to be conducted on other parasite this to be realized, it is clear that we have to species. This is most important for species that greatly increase our understanding of host- have dramatic effects on forest trees and parasite relationships. timber production (mistletoes) and for parasites of economic importance For example, it is necessary to make progress (sandalwood). in identifying the signals responsible for triggering germination, and also those involved As I have tried to point out in this short article, in inducing and controlling haustorium our ignorance in the area of parasitic flowering formation. The signaling pathways acting in plants is still enormous. This presents an these processes are still almost unknown, and exciting challenge for our young society, and it we need to put more effort into detailed studies is an urgent task of IPPS to develop and of the molecular dialogue that results in the maintain an international network for the building of the host-parasite association. advancement of parasitic plant research and Molecular approaches (i.e. gene expression) control. Working together, we can hope to and the use of genetically engineered host make progress. plants and mutants are some of the tools that will be necessary. Such research programs André Fer, President, IPPS benefit from collaboration between laboratories and should be encouraged. Resulting data could be invaluable for the development of selective control methods and new resistant host varieties. Haustorium 41 July 2002 - 3 - COST ACTION 849 – PARASITIC PLANT Cradled by the Knuckles Mountains is a MANAGEMENT IN SUSTAINABLE botanically fascinating area of short wet AGRICULTURE grassland wonderfully rich in insectivorous Drosera and Utricularia species. Among these The first meeting of the Working Groups was was what reminded me very much of Cycnium held in Bari, Italy in October, 2001, and a tubulosum in Africa. This turned out to be the listing of the papers presented is now provided related hemi-parasite Centranthera indica. below, under Proceedings of Meetings. Other Scrophulariaceae in Sri Lanka include Pedicularis and Striga spp. Further meetings of Working Group 1 (Biology and Epidemiology) and WG 3 Among other parasites seen that day were (Resistance) were held in Sofia, in February. several populations of Cuscuta campestris Meetings of WG 2 (Biological Control) and which, as in parts of India, is being locally WG 4 (Integrated Control) and of the mistaken for C. chinensis Management Committee are now scheduled for July 24-28 in Obermarchtal, Germany. Several representatives of Olacaceae, Abstracts will be published on a COST website Santalaceae and Opiliaceae also occur. I – details in the next issue. strongly recommend Sri Lanka as a rich hunting ground for the parasitic plant specialist. PARASITIC PLANTS IN SRI LANKA Ref: Tennakoon, K. and Weerasooriya, A. In the course of a holiday trip to Sri Lanka, I 1998. Nature’s scroungers – The fascinating enjoyed a very interesting day out with Dr world of plant parasites. Sri Lanka Nature Kushan Tennakoon of University of March 1998: 45-58. Peradeniya. Dr Tennakoon has contributed to this newsletter on the topic of sandalwood. We Chris Parker drove from Kandy at about 300 m elevation up to the Knuckles Mountains at 1200 m, passing through tea plantations and then natural forest SCREENING LEGUMES FOR which between the elevations of 800 and 1100 RESISTANCE TO ALECTRA IN MALAWI m is wonderfully rich in mistletoes. Most were out of reach but we were able to collect one The incidence of yellow witchweed (Alectra sample of the abundant and very variable vogelii) is on the increase in Malawi due to Dendropthoe falcata. The host in this case was greater efforts to promote legume crops. A Eucalytpus grandis but the literature shows study was initiated at Chitedze Research that D. falcata has an extremely wide host Station in Malawi in November 2000 with the range including many garden fruit and native objective of screening amongst existing and forest tree species. promising varieties of soybean, groundnuts and pigeon peas (medium maturity), and According to the well-illustrated article by several green manure crop species for Tennakoon and Weerasooriya (1998), susceptibility to Alectra vogelii.. belatedly noted in this issue, there are 22 species of Loranthaceae and 9 Viscaceae in Sri Four trials were conducted including, Lanka. Altogether 57 parasitic plant species respectively, 11 soybean lines; 7 groundnut belonging to 22 genera in 8 families are lines; 8 pigeon pea lines; and 10 green manure currently recognised in the Sri Lankan flora, entries (4 entries of Mucuna pruriens, 3 of many of them endemic. The biology and host Canavalia ensiformis and one each of range of many of these species is not well Crotalaria ochroleuca, C. juncea and C. known. Dr Tennakoon is keen to develop a grahamiana).