Figure - available from: Phytoparasitica
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Different Cuscuta species – Cuscuta campestris (a and b), Cuscuta europaea (c) and Cuscuta epithymum (d)
Source publication
Members of the genus Cuscuta or dodders represent widely distributed holoparasitic flowering plants with large agricultural and ecological significance. Besides their direct negative impact on the growth and development of host plants, they are also regarded as putative vectors of various pathogens, including plant viruses. In the present study, a...
Citations
... Of the six enlisted viruses (Table 1), one is a DNA virus of the Geminiviridae family (TYLCV) and all others are positive-strand RNA viruses from four different families. Reports on viruses in Orobanchaceae are even more scarce, although some of the viruses, found in Cuscuta [54,55], were also proved to be acquired by Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Pers.) Pomel (=Orobanche aegyptiaca Pers.) from host plants [56]. ...
... and some holoparasitic members of Orobanchaceae, due to their simple, leafless morphology [1]. In terms of viral infections, they rarely experience visible phenotypic symptoms or are even reported as symptomless in various experiments [54,58,59]. Although some very early reports claim that Cuscuta spp. ...
... Plant virus detection is performed mainly by either commercialized ELISA kits [54] or quantitative RT-PCR with virus-specific primers, which also allow the determination of the viral titer [56,59]. Both approaches, however, allow the identification of particular viruses, selected in advance, which may underestimate the distribution of other viruses. ...
Parasitic plants represent a peculiar group of semi- or fully heterotrophic plants, possessing the ability to extract water, minerals, and organic compounds from other plants. All parasitic plants, either root or stem, hemi- or holoparasitic, establish a vascular connection with their host plants through a highly specialized organ called haustoria. Apart from being the organ responsible for nutrient extraction, the haustorial connection is also a highway for various macromolecules, including DNA, proteins, and, apparently, phytopathogens. At least some parasitic plants are considered significant agricultural pests, contributing to enormous yield losses worldwide. Their negative effect is mainly direct, by the exhaustion of host plant fitness and decreasing growth and seed/fruit formation. However, they may pose an additional threat to agriculture by promoting the trans-species dispersion of various pathogens. The current review aims to summarize the available information and to raise awareness of this less-explored problem. We further explore the suitability of certain phytopathogens to serve as specific and efficient methods of control of parasitic plants, as well as methods for control of the phytopathogens.
