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HAUSTORIUM 60
1
HAUSTORIUM
Parasitic Plants Newsletter
ISSN 1944-6969
Official Organ of the International Parasitic Plant Society
(http://www.parasiticplants.org/)
December 2011
Number 60
CONTENTS
Page
Message from the IPPS President (Jim Westwood)……………………………………......………..
A new species of Balanophoraceae from Brazil (L. Cardoso et al.)………………………………..
Hydnora visseri – a remarkable plant to honour a remarkable man (Erika Maass)……………...
The mysterious sterile dodder in Brunei Darassulam (North-east Borneo) (Wang H. Chak et
al.)……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Wikipedia……………………………………………………………………………………………..
Seasonal greeting……………………………………………………………………………………..
Congratulations to Prof. Zeyar Khan……………………………………………………………….
Press releases/reports
ICIPE scientist and leader of the push-pull programme wins TWAS Prize………………………..
Green tech reins in noxious pests…………………………………………………………………..
Kenya: local scientists develop weed………………………………………………………………
Uganda: Striga weed, the African farmer's enemy…………………………………………………
Maize ‘Green Revolution’ coming soon…………………………………………………………...
Cuscuta japonica in California…………………………………………………………………….
Mistletoe League Project - A survey about mistletoe, and mistletoe management, on fruit trees
(in UK)…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Meeting reports
Joint IPPC/APS Conference, Hawaii, August, 2011 (Jim Westwood)……………………………..
5th Mistletoe Symposium - Mistletoe in Cancer Therapy – Basic Research and Clinical Practice,
November, 2011. (Rainer Scheer)……………………………………………………………………..
Forthcoming meeting
The VIth International Weed Science Congress (IWSC), Hangzhou, China, June 17-22, 2012 …..
Books
Parker and Riches – Parasitic Weeds of the World: Biology and Control – re-print ……………..
Theses
The relationship between strigolactones and Striga hermonthica infection in cereals (Muhammad
Jamil)………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Regulation of biosysnthesis and transport of strigolactones and their effect on plant development.
(W. Kohlen)……………………………………………………………………………………………
General websites……………………………………………………………………………………...
Literature……………………………………………………………………………………………..
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HAUSTORIUM 60
MESSAGE FROM THE IPPS PRESIDENT
Dear IPPS Members,
Happy 2012! I hope this year brings you all health,
happiness, and new insights into parasitic plants.
Future meetings. The next opportunity for a parasitic
plant meeting will be a joint IPPS symposium with the
International Weed Science Society Congress, which will
take place from June 17-22, 2012 in Hangzhou, China.
However, in order to ensure that we have sufficient
attendance at this event, please indicate your interest right
away by emailing Hanan Eizenberg
(eizenber@agri.gov.il.). This is a great opportunity for
our society to connect with parasitic plant researchers
from Asia and the Pacific region who don’t usually have
the ability to travel to our typical congress location in
Europe.
The next major conference, the 12th International
Congress on Parasitic Plants, will take place in Sheffield,
UK on July 15-19, 2013. Local arrangements will be
handled by Julie Scholes and Duncan Cameron, with
Koichi Yoneyama leading planning of the scientific
program. The venue will be the Edge Conference facility
at the University of Sheffield, and is located just next to
the Peak District National Park, one of the most beautiful
national parks in the UK. Block out your calendars now!
Upcoming IPPS elections. It is time for another round
of IPPS elections. Three positions are open this year:
Vice President, Secretary, and Member at Large. You
may think that we just recently held elections, and indeed
it was about a year ago that we elected a new Editor, but
that election had been delayed and should have occurred
in 2010. To remind you of recent society history, officers
serve staggered four-year terms with about half the
Executive Committee elected every two years to maintain
continuity on the Committee. The Vice President
position is special in that it comes with one major
stipulation; The Vice President ascends to the Presidency
at the end of the term, so this position actually carries an
eight-year commitment. (Koichi Yoneyama with make
this transition to President in the next few months.) You
will receive a separate announcement this spring to solicit
nominations for the election, so please start thinking
about who you would nominate (self nominations are
welcome) and whether you would agree to serve if
nominated.
Final words. My term as IPPS President will soon end,
so this is the final column I will write in this capacity.
Each time I set out to write the President’s Message
(eight times since 2008!) I have struggled with what to
say. Of course there is always the business of the society:
2
the forthcoming or completed congresses, elections, and
administrative matters of many kinds. These are all
important and I have dutifully reported them because
that is the job of the President, but it strikes me as too
much mundane bureaucracy. I would prefer to use this
space to cheer progress in parasitic plant research,
although that seems superfluous considering that readers
have generally devoted their lives to the subject. Also,
there is simply not enough space to adequately capture
the energy in this field. Perhaps the best I can do is
encourage you to read the rest of this newsletter and
appreciate the breadth and depth of progress in just the
past six months!
In closing I will say that it has been an honor and a
pleasure to work with IPPS. I am grateful to everyone
who has contributed to the society in even a small way,
and especially to those who have taken on the major jobs
of organizing congresses, serving as an officer or
contributing to Haustorium. Although I am stepping
aside from official duties, I look forward to continuing
parasitic plant research and supporting the society for
many years to come.
Sincerely,
Jim Westwood, IPPS President
westwood@vt.edu
A NEW SPECIES OF BALANOPHORACEAE
FROM BRAZIL
In 1996, Prof. Ruy J. Válka Alves from the National
Museum, Rio de Janeiro, was called to the type locality
of the plant referred to herein. The person who had
found the plant thought it was a strange orchid (it does
resemble Australian Rhizanthella gardneri). The Itatiaia
National Park is a high diversity hotspot of the Atlantic
Rainforest of southeastern Brazil. Prof. Alves preserved
a sample in alcohol for later studies, but the specimen
remained untouched for a decade, when the first author
examined the material and became convinced that it
belonged to a new species of Langsdorffia. We then
analyzed all Langsdorffia collections in many herbaria,
covering the distribution of L. hypogaea Mart., thereto
the only known American species of the genus. We
concluded that none of the variations within L. hypogaea
were consistent with that of the new taxon. Furthermore,
the herbaria yielded further specimens of the new
species, all collected in Itatiaia, the oldest collection
being from 1957.
In 2006 a new search expedition to the type locality took
place. It was successful, thanks to the help of Mr. André
Vieira, who had taken Prof. Alves to the site back in
HAUSTORIUM 60
1996. The type locality is a cloud forest at an altitude of
1940 m a.s.l., a site which harbors many endemic species.
The 1996 collection had only female inflorescences, not
permitting the observation of the main distinctive
characters, present on male inflorescences. Finally, in
2009, fertile male material of the new species was
collected near the original site, along with a specimen
clearly belonging to L. hypogaea, proving both species
grew sympatrically in that locality. This finding gave us
the confidence to publish Langsdorffia heterotepala
L.J.T. Cardoso, R.J.V. Aves & J.M.A. Braga. The
specific epithet refers to the different shapes of the three
tepals in the male flowers, which are identical in L.
hypogaea. Further distinctive characters of L.
heterotepala include the conspicuously Y-shaped
connective; a flat male inflorescence; scales with a
corrugate apex and female flowers with shorter styles.
The ecology of this new species is poorly known. Not
even the species of the host plant was determined. The
currently known distribution is restricted to cloud forests
above 1500m a.s.l., which encompass the Itatiaia massif,
an area of less than 30 km2. It seems probable that L.
heterotepala also occurs at similar altitudes in the
Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar massifs, and even in other
States. An intensified collection effort might shed further
light on the distribution of this species and its
conservation status.
3
HYDNORA VISSERI – A REMARKABLE PLANT
TO HONOUR A REMARKABLE MAN
In a memorial lecture at the University of Stellenbosch
on 9 March 2011 attended by his widow, Thresia Visser
and children, Erika Maass announced the naming of a
new species of Hydnora in honour of Prof. Johann
Visser and paid tribute to a great figure in the world of
parasitic plants who sadly died so soon after his
retirement, in 1990.
‘My association with the late Prof. Johann Visser started
30 years ago when I, as a young undergraduate student,
walked into his Plant Physiology class at the then
Department of Botany, at the University of Stellenbosch.
As post-graduate student, I was quickly introduced into
the world of parasitic plants and soon realized that
Hydnora was without doubt one of Prof. Visser’s all
time favourites – this strange, most un-plant-like of all
angiosperms with the beautiful albeit stinking flowers!
Johann Visser spent many hours Hydnora-hunting in his
little red pickup– an activity that was rewarded when he
rediscovered the evasive Hydnora triceps in the
Springbok area. The previous known collection of this
strange plant was 150 years earlier and there was still
much to learn from these weird plants when Prof. Visser
fell ill and died in 1990.
Before his death, Prof. Visser appointed Prof. Lytton
Musselman, a friend and colleague from Old Dominion
University in Norfork, Virginia, as the external examiner
of my Ph D thesis which dealt with the germination
requirements of Striga, another genus of parasitic
flowering plants. When, a few years after Visser’s death,
Musselman became interested in furthering his work on
Hydnora, and was looking for a collaborator in Namibia,
I was the obvious choice – the only one he knew in
Namibia!
Langsdorffia heteropetala photo J.P. Condack
For more information see the complete article:
Cardoso, L.J.T., Alves, R.J.V. and Braga, J.M.A.. 2011.
A new species and a key for Langsdorffia
(Balanophoraceae). Systematic Botany 36(2): 424-427.
Leandro J. T. Cardoso1, Ruy J. V. Alves2 and João
Marcelo A. Braga1
1
Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de
Janeiro,
2
Departamento de Botânica, Museu Nacional.
(ljtcardoso@jbrj.gov.br)
This was the beginning of a very successful and fruitful
collaboration - building on the foundation laid by Johann
Visser, researchers from the University of Namibia and
Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, worked
together over the past 10 years to unravel the mysteries
of this remarkable genus. Our group was not only the
first to successfully germinate Hydnora seeds, but we
also documented the distribution of Hydnora triceps in
Namibia, and recently described a new Hydnora species
from the Karas Region of Namibia and the Northern
Cape Province of South Africa. This species is a distinct
segregate of Hydnora africana sensu lato, and to honour
the contribution made by Prof. Visser to our current
understanding of parasitic plants, this new species was
named Hydnora visseri (see Bolin, J., Maas, E. and
Musselman, L.J. 2011. A new species of Hydnora
HAUSTORIUM 60
4
(Hydnoraceae) from Southern Africa. Systematic Botany
36(2): 255-260 in Literature section below.)
Hydnora visseri is known from the Karas region of
Namibia and the Northern Cape Province of South
Africa. This distribution follows that of its obligated
hosts E. gregaria and E. gummifera in winter and
transitional rainfall (summer-winter) areas of Namibia
and South Africa. The type locality is the sandy valley
floor of Namuskluft, an important endemism hotspot in
Southern Africa and contains impressive stands of
Euphorbia gummifera and its parasite H. visseri. In
South Africa, H. visseri has only been observed in the
Richtersveld. However, E. gregaria-dominated flats are
common in the eastern portion of the Northern Cape
Province near the Namibian border settlement of
Ariamsvlei and its presence there is expected.
person I am today, and the influence he had on all that
crossed his path, I wish to salute Johann Visser – the
Southern African father of parasitic plants.
I so wish that tonight, before I go home, I could once
more switch on the coffee machine so that tomorrow,
over a cup of strong, black coffee as he liked it, we can
ponder over the wonders of a plant now known as
Hydnora visseri.’
Erika Maass
Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Namibia,
P.O. Box 6975, Windhoek, Namibia.
emaass@unam.na
THE MYSTERIOUS STERILE DODDER IN
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (NORTH-EAST
BORNEO)
Along the waterways and ditches of Brunei Darussalam
careful observers can spot strange looking tangled
masses of spaghetti thrown over the vegetation. Of
course we are discussing the genus Cuscuta which was
once mistaken to be Cassytha filiformis among local
naturalists and botanists due to its striking resemblance.
One of the most convenient methods of differentiating
these two species quickly in the field is by scanning the
stem under a hand lens. Stems of Cassytha tend to be
rather woody, coarse and ridged due to the presence of
numerous waxy-plates, compared to Cuscuta with a
smooth and relatively shiny surface.
Hydnora visseri
photo Jay Bolin
Some of my lasting memories include the respect he
showed to his students. Despite an extremely busy
schedule, and long queues of people in front of his office
door waiting for a chance to consult him, he always made
time for each and every one – listening attentively and
patiently - offering his wisdom. I was very fortunate that I
never had to queue at his office door – one of my tasks as
his research assistant was to, every evening before I left
for home, switch on the percolator to make a fresh pot of
coffee that was left throughout the night to brew. And
when he then came into my office early the next morning
for his first cup of coffee, I had his undivided attention.
He taught me a lot of things – from the intricacies of
photosynthesis to the amazing life strategies of Hydnora.
However, much more important than what he taught me,
is what I learned from him – the virtues of hard work,
dedication and commitment. For his contribution to the
So far, only Cuscuta australis R. Brown has been
documented based on flower morphology (Chak et al.
2010) in Brunei Darussalam. Surprisingly, of the 450
odd sites of dodder populations in Brunei Darussalam,
only one population has flowered during four years of
regular observation. The rest of the populations have
remained completely sterile, thus arousing our interest.
Molecular identification of these sterile Cuscuta
populations in Brunei Darussalam using ITS and trnL-F
DNA sequence data has indicated that all sterile
populations of Cuscuta sampled are C. australis.
Sterile C. australis is usually found parasitizing Mikania
micrantha along the waterways and low-lying areas in
Brunei Darussalam and appears to go through cycles of
rapid growth and perennation. The periodicity and
stimuli for perennation are unclear. Perennation of
Cuscuta was first reported by Rao (1939), whereby the
young perennating C. reflexa shoots emerged from the
absorbing tissue of the haustoria embedded within the
body of the host. However, the perennating mechanism
described for C. reflexa differs from the perennation of
C. australis observed in Brunei, whereby the young
HAUSTORIUM 60
perennating shoots originate from the central pith instead
of the haustorium tissue of the parental strand (see plate
1a - b). This perennating strategy of C. australis suggests
that the reproduction is from food reserves. However, this
hypothesis remains to be tested. During the perennating
stage of C. australis, several young shoots of varying
lengths were observed to emerge at several points along
the parental strands. Further elongation of these young
shoots results in the fresh attack of any nearby potential
host plants.
Paucity of flowering populations of C. australis in Brunei
remains an enigma. This species is mainly distributed in
less strictly equatorial latitudes; throughout southern
Europe, in South–Southeast Asia, in Australia (Liao et al.
2000) and also in the USA (Holm et al. 1997).
Suppression of flowering in C. australis for several years
may be an exclusive adaptation that associates to the
ecological conditions in the tropics (i.e. day-length and
dark period) or perhaps related to major climatic
phenomena (i.e. El Niño and La Niña) (Kelly et al. 2001).
Fratianne (1965) claimed that certain Cuscuta spp. may
express flowering synchronicity with the host however
this does not appear to be the case here. The factors that
could trigger the initiation of flowering of sterile C.
australis populations in Brunei Darussalam remain
unknown. With only one exception, all dodder
populations across Brunei Darussalam have remained
sterile over four years. This raises the concern of future
simultaneous flowering and seed dispersal in response to
some as yet undetermined cue. The sudden outbreak of
an introduced parasitic vine via simultaneous seed
formation may pose a threat to native plants in the
riparian zones and to crops commonly cultivated in
Brunei such as beans, lettuces and tomatoes. Cultivated
crops may be extremely susceptible due to the potential
of irrigation water contaminated with Cuscuta seeds.
Hence, timely precautionary measures should be taken
well in advance before any possible future outbreak.
Acknowledgements
Funding for this study was provided by the National
Development Plan, Brunei Darussalam University Brunei
Darussalam (UBD) Science and Technology Research
Grant No. 8. Molecular work at Old Dominion University
was supported by the Mary Payne Hogan Endowment.
References
Chak, W.H., Tennakoon, K.U., and Musselman, L.J.
2010. The first report of angiosperm parasitic genus
Cuscuta (dodder) in Brunei Darussalam: A mystifying
existence. Folia Malaysiana 11(1): 13-24
Fratianne, D.G. 1965. The interrelationship between the
flowering of dodder and the flowering of some long
5
and short day plants. American Journal of Botany 52:
556-562
Holm, L., Doll, J., Holm, E., Pancho, J., and Herberger,
J. 1997. World weeds, natural histories and
distribution. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Kelly C.K., Harris, D., and Perez-Ishiwara, R. 2001. Is
breaking up hard to do? Breakage, growth, and
survival in the parasitic clonal plant Cuscuta
corymbosa (Convolvulaceae). American Journal of
Botany 88: 1458– 1468.
Liao, G.I., Chen, M.Y., and Kuoh, C.S. 2000. Cuscuta
L. (Convolvulaceae) in Taiwan. Taiwania 45: 226–
234
Rao, L.N. 1939. Perennation in Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.
New Phytologist 37: 474-477.
Wang H. Chak, Kushan U. Tennakoon, Faculty of
Science, University Brunei Darussalam,
Tungku Link, Gadong, BE 1410, Brunei Darussalam
Jay F. Bolin, Department of Biology, Catawba College,
2300 West Innes St, Salisbury, NC, 28144 USA
Amanda L. Bieber, Lytton J. Musselman, Department of
Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University,
Norfolk VA 23529, USA.
WIKIPEDIA
Wikipedia needs well-written treatments of parasitic
plants crafted by specialists. If you are interested in
participating in this project, please contact Lytton
Musselman (lmusselm@odu.edu)
SEASONAL GREETING
For a (late) seasonal greeting check
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUjn3RpkcKY and see
why Google Alerts for ‘mistletoe’ have recently been
providing an excessive number of hits.
CONGRATULATIONS TO PROF. ZEYAUR
KHAN
Prof. Zeyaur Khan, the ICIPE scientist, leader of the
widely-reputed push-pull programme, has been named
co-winner of the 2011 TWAS Prize for Agriculture. The
TWAS Prizes, awarded by The Academy of Sciences for
the Developing World, honour individual scientists in
developing countries in recognition of an outstanding
contribution to knowledge. See item below under Press
releases.
HAUSTORIUM 60
PRESS RELEASES
‘ICIPE scientist and leader of the push-pull
programme wins TWAS Prize ‘
Prof. Zeyaur Khan, the leader of the widely-reputed
ICIPE push-pull programme, has been named co-winner
of the 2011 TWAS Prize for Agriculture. The TWAS
Prizes, which are awarded by TWAS, The Academy of
Sciences for the Developing World, honour individual
scientists in developing countries in recognition of an
outstanding contribution to knowledge. Based in Trieste,
Italy, TWAS promotes scientific excellence and capacity
in the South for science-based sustainable development,
through a range of programmes that includes research
grants; awards and prizes; fellowships and associate
fellowships. The TWAS Prize adds to Prof. Khan’s
growing list of accolades for his work as the leader of the
push-pull programme, an innovative technology that
simultaneously addresses the three key constraints of
cereal production in Africa; stemborers, Striga weed and
poor soil fertility.
The push-pull technology was developed by Prof. Khan
at ICIPE in collaboration with Rothamsted Research in
the United Kingdom, Kenya Agricultural Research
Institute and various national partners, with funding from
Gatsby Charitable Foundation (UK). Further research and
development of the technology has been funded by the
European Union, the Kilimo Trust (East Africa),
Biovision Foundation (Switzerland) and McKnight
Foundation (USA), among others. The technology
involves intercropping cereals with a repellent plant such
as Desmodium, and planting an attractive trap plant, for
instance Napier grass, as a border crop around this
intercrop. Stemborers are repelled or deterred from the
target crop (push) and at the same time they are attracted
(pull) to the trap crop, preventing damage on the cereal
crop. In addition, Desmodium provides a novel means of
in situ reduction of the Striga seed bank in the soil
through efficient suicidal germination: the plant
stimulates the germination of Striga seeds and inhibits
their growth after they germinate.
Today, more than 50,000 farmers in eastern Africa are
practicing the push-pull technology on their farms,
dramatically improving their cereal yields. Moreover, the
technology enables small-scale farmers to venture into
dairy cattle and goat keeping, as both Desmodium and
Napier are excellent fodder crops. Moreover, Desmodium
fixes nitrogen and helps retain moisture through natural
mulching, prevents soil erosion, and is also a perennial
crop, which enables it to exert its Striga control effect
even when the host crop is out of season.
6
In 2010, Prof. Zeyaur Khan received the designation of
Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA),
which is accorded to individuals who have made
outstanding contributions to the science of entomology –
the scientific study of insects – with only 10 such
distinction made annually. In addition he was elected to
the Council of the International Congress of
Entomology, and nominated Distinguished Scientist,
International Branch of Entomological Society of
America. Prof. Khan also received the designation of
Fellow of Royal Entomological Society, London, and
was also the 2010 winner of ESA’s Nan-Yao Su Award
for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology. In 2009,
Prof. Khan was selected the winner of the International
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement
awards, which are given to individuals or teams who
have made significant contributions to the advancement
of IPM, with at least one extraordinary achievement. In
2008 he was a plenary speaker at the 23rd International
Congress of Entomology.
Henry Neondo, Africa Science News Service, December
2, 2011.
‘Green tech reins in noxious pests’
A unique technology that uses a weed and napier grass
to keep a close rein on a pest that attacks maize is
bringing good tidings to farmers. The ‘push and pull’
intermediate technology can fight the Striga weed and
control the maize stalk borer instead of using pesticides.
For the technology to work, napier grass is planted
around the maize field to attract (pull) moths. Its
attractive scent pulls nearly three quarters of the borer
insects, which go to lay their eggs in the grass instead of
the maize. This reduces the chances of the crop being
attacked. On the other hand, Desmodiums unpleasant
smell sends away (keeps off) the moths about 30 days
after the maize has been planted. The insects go away in
search of a suitable place to lay their eggs.
Reduce on use of fertiliser: The protein-rich legume
Desmodium that is planted after every three rows of
maize also fixes nitrogen nutrients in the soil, thus
reducing the cost of adding fertiliser. ‘I was reluctant to
invest in cattle because I didn’t have enough feeds, but
this technology has changed my mind. I now keep cattle
because I do not want to continue selling the animal
feeds in my farm,’ said Mrs Eunice Simiyu, a farmer
from Muyai village in Bungoma County, who first
planted maize under the push and pull technology last
year. She now rears two dairy cows.
Mr Ben Gitahi, a farmer at Rwaitira village, Gatanga
District in Central Kenya who has adopted the
technology said he has been able to harvest more from
his quarter-acre piece of land and spends less on farm
HAUSTORIUM 60
inputs. ‘I now harvest six bags instead of two after I
adopted this agricultural practice two years ago,’ said Mr
Gitahi.
The technology is also useful in livestock rearing. To
feed animals, napier grass is mixed with Desmodium in a
ratio of 3:1. ‘Milk production has increased as a result.
Desmodium further suffocates the Striga weed, which has
been a threat to crop production. It is also a cover crop
that retains water for long and cuts the effects of soil
erosion,’ says Mr Patrick Waboya, the patron of Simana
Farmer Field School.
The technology is being spearheaded by scientists from
the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) and the
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
(ICIPE). Mr Samuel Njihia, the coordinator of the
project, said maize, which is the countrys staple crop,
takes a larger space because it is the main focus for the
farmers. ‘The rest only come in to safeguard maize from
the pest, which weakens stems and eventually leaves the
crop withering,’ said the Kari scientist. He added that the
biological control method, whose efficacy was rated as
high as 70 per cent, had improved maize output and
livestock production. ‘In the use of natural agents to
increase yields, remaining with a risk of between 10 to 30
per cent, as is the case under this technology, is an
economically viable option and this is a great success,’
said Mr Njihia. Domestication of the technology, he said,
was informed by concerns about declining soil fertility
and failure of other pest control methods. Farmers have
been using ash, soil, and chemicals to eliminate the stem
borer disease. The scientist said the seeds of the
Desmodium legume are available at the Kenya Seed
Company and mature vines from the crop can be
replanted.
Mr Zakayo Saitoti, a technical assistant at Kari, said some
farmers in Central, Nyanza, and Western Kenya had been
trained and were assisting in sensitising their colleagues
about the economic value of the technology. ‘We have
identified demonstration sites and with the help of
partners such as officials from the ministry of Agriculture
and Icipe, many farmers have been brought on board,’
said Mr Saitoti. Icipe is coordinating the project in
Western, Nyanza, Central, and parts of Rift Valley
provinces. He said the push and pull technology
contributes to environmental protection as no toxic
substances are released.
By Dennis Odunga dodunga@ke.nation.co.ke
Daily Nation November 29 2011 at 00:00
‘Kenya: local scientists develop weed-resistant
sorghum’
Local farmers will have a new sorghum variety resistant
to the feared Striga weed at the end of this year. Striga
attacks sorghum by growing into the roots where it sucks
7
out water and nutrients. It slowly kills the plant and three
weeks later emerges from the soil having done most of
the damage. Director of the Kenya Agricultural Research
Institute (Kari) Ephrain Mukisira said the new Strigaresistant variety could be available to farmers in
December this year. ‘In some cases Striga has caused
more than 100 per cent damage. This has really
discouraged farmers,’ he said yesterday. Striga, also
known as a witch weed, is difficult to manage and can
stay under the ground for more than 15 years waiting for
a farmer to plant cereal crops which facilitate their
growth.
Yesterday, Dr Mukisira said they are testing preferred
varieties in the field before releasing the seeds to
farmers. The Kari director was speaking in Nairobi at a
meeting organised by the Africa Biodiversity
Conservation and Innovations Centre and the
Association for Strengthening Agriculture Research in
Eastern and Central Africa. The meeting was also
attended by scientists from Sudan and Eritrea where
more than 50 weed-resistant varieties have also been
tested.
Sorghum is highly profitable and has rebounded in
Kenya as a key cash and food crop. Dr Mukisira said it
offers better returns than maize in the face of unreliable
rains because of climate change. The East African
Breweries also plans to buy sorghum from farmers for its
popular keg beer. The ministry of Agriculture says
although sorghum growing had declined since 1976, last
year farmers produced more than 130,000 metric tonnes.
‘We are at the tail-end of developing technologies that
offer hope for problems that have been very serious
sorghum production constraints in East and Central
Africa. In a year's time we should have products ready
for farmers,’ says Dr Dan Kiambi, director of the Africa
Biodiversity Conservation and Innovations Centre.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates
that in the Horn of Africa, Striga destroys about
USD2.89 billion worth of maize and sorghum every
year, sorghum suffering 86 percent of this loss. Maize is
the most popular cereal in Eastern and Central Africa,
followed by sorghum.
John Muchangi
Nairobi Star. 20 September
‘Uganda: Striga weed, the African farmer's enemy’
Farmers specialising in growing cereal crops in
Uganda and other parts of Africa have of late suffered
low yields as a result of the striga weed invading their
gardens. In Uganda the weed has mostly hit farmers
growing cereal crops in eastern and northern Uganda.
HAUSTORIUM 60
8
Striga weed according to crop science experts is a
parasitic weed that grows in farmers' fields where cereal
crops such as maize, millet, sorghum and rice are grown.
It is a weed that attaches its roots to the roots of a cereal
crop for purposes of obtaining food thereby causing
stunted growth to the plant. According to Dr Michael
Otim a crop entomologist at the National Crops
Resources Research Institute (Nacrri) in Namulonge, in
Uganda, the striga weed tends to attack maize, millet and
sorghum crops. The weed has also been reported in
western Kenya, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Nigeria,
Rwanda as well as South Africa especially in maize
fields.
that are resistant to the weed. This is because previously
farmers were advised to uproot the weed once they site it
in their gardens but because the weed has attractive
flowers, many farmers thought it was not a dangerous
weed. The team has acquired a maize variety called
Imazobil Resistant (IR) maize from International Maize
and Wheat Improvement Centre, which is coated with
herbicides to avoid attack on the plant. The herbicide
kills the roots of the weed and increases the soil nutrient,
thereby making it unfavourable for the weeds to grow.
Scientists in Kenya have already come up with resistant
varieties against the weed which they have released to
farmers in Western Kenya.
Dr Otim said there are two types of striga which include
Striga hermonthica with purplish flowers commonly
found in northern Uganda and Striga asiatica which has
yellow flowers commonly found in eastern Uganda. In as
far as the East African regions are concerned, three major
striga zones have been identified and these include the
Lake Victoria zone, the inland dry zone found in
Tanzania, the inland moist zone found in Uganda and a
conterminous coastal zone found adjacent to the Indian
ocean in both Kenya and Tanzania. The most affected
zone is the Lake Victoria zone with the largest extent of
slightly over 850,000 hectares. The weed is said to cause
50 per cent to 80 per cent crop loss in the entire region.
Tanzania has the largest area of striga infestation totalling
over one million hectares of land. Uganda has 262,000 ha
of striga infestation. A large portion of Uganda's striga
plagued areas are located away from Lake Victoria, near
the Kenyan border and the country reports that 31.9 per
cent of its maize is under infestation. Tanzania has the
largest share of its maize acreage under striga attack, with
36.9 per cent of its three million maize acres affected
mostly in Terima and Serengeti district. Kenya has
216,000 hectares of striga hit cropland, with most of it
found near Lake Victoria. Therefore, across East Africa,
the economic impacts are substantial, totalling over
$568m a year.
The Agricultural inspector at the Ministry of
Agriculture, Mr Isaac Wamasembe said as regulated by
the ministry, when conducting their routine field work,
they advise farmers to guard against the weed by leaving
the land fallow for two to three years before planting a
cereal crop for the second time on the same land. The
ministry also inspects seeds that are brought into the
country to avoid incidences of some seeds being
imported with mixed invasive weed seeds. Farmers are
also advised to practice intercropping where cereals are
planted with legumes.
Dr Otim says the weed produces up to 50,000 seeds
which can remain dormant in the soil for 10 years and it
grows mostly in less fertile soil, the reason why farmers'
fields are being attacked by the weed these days, yet it
has been in existence for over 100 years. He adds that
when farmers in eastern Uganda expressed concern over
the weed, a team of science experts started the push pull
technology where the Napier grass is planted on borders
of the cereal crop field and the desmodium used for
controlling maize stem borers in between the rows.
Crop scientists in Serere are also working on a sorghum
variety that is resistant to the weed. The head of the
cereals crops research at Namulonge, Dr Godfrey Asea,
said his team is working on a number of maize varieties
Mr Moses Okello, a farmer hailing from Dabani village
in Busia, says, ‘The weed has been wiping off our cereal
crops because a garden where farmers could harvest one
bag of maize, once infested with the weed, will yield
half a bag of maize.’
He said most farmers know about the weed but could not
devise a method of controlling until the push-pull
technology was introduced. He has however urged
scientists to come up with another control method for
their cassava crop where the weed is sometimes spotted
because the above technology only works with cereal
crops.
Copyright © 2011 The Monitor.
Afedraru Lominda alominda@ug.nationmedia.com
‘Maize ‘Green Revolution’ coming soon’
Nigeria will increase its maize production within the
next few years by 150 percent to 20 million tons per
annum. Current produce output stands at 8 million tons.
This move is part of efforts by the federal Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development to enhance food
security, create jobs, and more importantly, cushion the
oil-rich nation from the effects of rising food prices.
According to the minister, Akin Adesina, the new efforts
will transform the maize industry and make farming in
general more profitable.
HAUSTORIUM 60
Maize is a staple food for millions of Nigerians, and its
productivity has been stymied by low adoption of
improved seeds, poor seed quality, little or no use of
fertilizers, low investment in research funding, and poor
extension services. In the 1980s, Nigeria experienced a
silent Maize Revolution in the savannah but the
transformation was not sustained. ‘We have begun a
journey of transformation—a journey to re-engineer
Nigerian agriculture for high impact and success,’ Mr
Adesina said during a meeting with a team of maize
experts in Abuja. Mr Adesina called on the experts to
translate research and innovations into impacts on
farmers’ fields, adding that ‘we must do this at a scale
that can reduce hunger and poverty.’ According to him,
government has resolved to ‘rebuild the broken walls of
Nigeria’s agriculture. ‘Our resolve is clear: Grow
Nigerian Agriculture.’ he added.
Last Sunday, the maize team submitted a blueprint on
how to achieve the new targets. Dr Sam Ajala, a Maize
Breeder at the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA), which is headquartered in Ibadan,
said the focus on maize was a step in the right direction.
‘If you look at maize, it has the highest return on
investment [ROI] compared with other crops. So if we
are able to get it right in maize it will be great,’ he said.
Researchers aim to leverage on earlier successes recorded
under the Doubling Maize Project that proved that maize
yield could be doubled on farmers’ fields. The new move
will also benefit from the plethora of innovations lying
dormant in international and national research centres
waiting to be adopted by farmers. For instance, highyielding and disease-resistant varieties that are adaptable
to Nigeria’s various agroecological zones, as well as
drought- and Striga-resistant varieties that could address
on-farm stresses will be deployed to farmers. Early,
intermediate, and late-maturing varieties with yields up to
thrice as much as traditional varieties will help farmers
tackle the negative effects of climate change.
‘We are optimistic that if given the necessary support we
will achieve the 20 million tons target,’ Mr Ajala said.
Leke Adeyemi
‘Next’ September 13, 2011.
Cuscuta japonica in California
Comparable to the story of non-flowering Cuscuta in
Brunei above, a similar occurrence of numerous nonflowering infestations of Cuscuta japonica in California
was reported in Haustorium issue 51. A new infestation
there has now been reported from Santa Barbara County
as in the following and subsequent press releases:
9
http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/article_c359e
064-cedd-11e0-9883-001cc4c002e0.html
‘Mistletoe League Project - A survey about mistletoe,
and mistletoe management, on fruit trees (in UK).’
(extract from full text)
A survey about mistletoe (Viscum album) on fruit trees,
aiming to gather useful information on management
practices and attitudes, its harvest, and on any host
varietal preference.
Most mistletoe in the UK (and in other parts of northern
Europe) grows on fruit trees, mainly apple, and so it is a
particular feature of orchards and gardens. This
phenomenon is particularly obvious in orchards in
mistletoe's preferred growing area of the English southwest midlands (Herefordshire,
Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Somerset) and
across the Welsh border in lowland Monmouthshire. For
gardens the phenomenon is more widespread - as much
mistletoe has become established on garden fruit trees
well outside its natural geographic area.
Mistletoe will grow on many other host tree species too,
but it is only usually harvested from fruit trees, as the
'crop' is easily reached in these. Mistletoe is, and
probably always will be, fairly common on other hosts
(Tilia spp., poplars, willows, hawthorns) in the wider
countryside in its natural area, but it is difficult to crop
from those hosts.
Several problems seem to be arising for mistletoe
because of this fruit tree association. Firstly, the huge,
and continuing, loss of traditional orchards in recent
decades must be reducing opportunities for cropping
mistletoe, and reducing the harvest long-term. But how
significant is this problem? We have no figures for
mistletoe trading, and no way to tell whether the threat is
really becoming critical yet, and if not yet, when it will
be. Secondly, the decline in economic value for the
remaining traditional orchards means that many are
significantly neglected. The fruit crop is often left on the
ground in these 'remnant' orchards and the trees left
unpruned.
A short/medium-term side-effect of this second point, in
mistletoe's core growing areas is (ironically) a glut of
mistletoe. Fruit trees, particularly apple, in the neglected
orchards of this area often develop huge growths of
mistletoe - far too prolific for the tree to support, and
leading to premature death of both tree and mistletoe.
At present there might seem to be plenty of mistletoe in
these situations, but it is clearly not sustainable. But, as
with the first problem, no data exist to measure this
HAUSTORIUM 60
10
MEETING REPORTS
problem. A key unknown is how the owners and
managers of these orchards perceive the mistletoe - do
they understand the issue, are they acting on it, do they
know what to do, if not why not, is it simply to do with
economics and manpower, and so on. Not just orchards garden trees too:
The management issue also arises in gardens with
mistletoe, where it is not unusual to see an apple tree
festooned with abundant mistletoe, of which many
gardeners are very proud. But the amount can quickly
become unsustainable and it is not unusual to hear of
prized mistletoe trees suddenly dying, or falling in winter
storms. But most information is anecdotal -is this a real
problem or not?
The League Project is also aiming to gain information on
varietal preferences. In some core area orchards it is
obvious there is some preference - with mistletoe
abundant on some trees but relatively poor on others.
Sometimes this can be explained from management
history - but sometimes it appears to be related to the fruit
variety. Some seem more susceptible, or more resistant,
than others. So, could a Mistletoe League Table be drawn
up showing which varieties are best and worst for
mistletoe? And could this be used to help manage
mistletoe where it is overabundant, or encourage it where
it is scarce? As above, there are currently no data, and it
would clearly be useful to have some. The Mistletoe
League Project aims to gather information on all these
issues.
The project has been split into two parts: Part 1 is a
questionnaire for fruit tree managers who deal with
mistletoe (1a is for orchard managers, 1b is for gardeners)
Part 2 aims to gather information on varietal preferences.
Rapid results are not anticipated! The project is likely to
run for several years, building up more information each
winter season from 2011/12 onwards.
Mistletoe Matters Consultancy is run by Jonathan Briggs,
a national mistletoe expert with over 25 years research
experience with this parasitic plant.
enquiries@mistletoe.org.uk
www.mistletoe.org.uk
www.jonathanbriggs.co.uk/mistletoe.htm
Mistletoe Matters Consultancy
November 2011
APS/IPPPC Joint Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, August
6-10, 2011
The American Phytopathological Society (APS) and the
International Association for the Plant Protection
Sciences (IAPPS) held a joint meeting in Honolulu,
Hawaii on August 6-10, 2011. The occasion brought
together a large group of scientists interested in
pathology and plant protection, which seemed to be the
ideal venue for discussing parasitic plants with students
and researchers who don’t often have the opportunity to
attend parasitic plant congresses. The session was well
organized by Yaakov Goldwasser and featured a solid
lineup of speakers.
Unfortunately, because the conference format consisted
of a large number of concurrent sessions and this session
was relegated to the final afternoon, the audience
consisted mostly of familiar faces.
Jim Westwood.
Featured speakers were:
G. Ejeta. Striga – A formidable challenge to Africa’s
food security.
Y. Goldwasser. Broomrape management – difficulties
and solutions.
B. Rubin. Selective and non-selective management of
field dodder (Cuscuta campestris).
K. Yoneyama et al. Role of strigolactones in the hostparasite association.
J. Westwood et al. Genomics approaches to parasitic
plant research.
5th Mistletoe Symposium: Mistletoe in Cancer
Therapy – Basic Research and Clinical Practice,
November 10-12, 2011.
About a hundred scientists and doctors from a variety of
scientific disciplines and therapeutic approaches met at
the European Academy of Otzenhausen (in Nonnweiler,
Saarland) for the 5th International, Interdisciplinary
Mistletoe Symposium. At the symposium, the latest
results from research and clinical medicine were
presented, discussed and compared, so as to put together
a multidimensional and comprehensive picture of the
current state of scientific knowledge on mistletoe
extracts. Bridges were built not only between different
therapeutic approaches, pharmaceutics and medicine,
and basic research into mistletoe and use of mistletoe,
but also between conventional and complementary
oncology. The treatment of pancreatic carcinoma was
chosen as a topic for special attention and was dealt with
HAUSTORIUM 60
in depth in a podium discussion both from the perspective
of conventional oncology and in terms of the contribution
which mistletoe preparations can make to the
management of this condition. In addition, the
participants at the symposium discussed and unanimously
approved the wording of the “Second Nonnweiler
Declaration” (see box at end of article for details). This
declaration calls for the cost of parenteral administration
of mistletoe preparations not only in the palliative but
also in the adjuvant therapeutic setting to remain
reimbursable by the German statutory health insurance
(SHI) funds.
The symposium was organised and sponsored by the Karl
and Veronica Carstens Foundation and the Society of
Anthroposophical Doctors in Germany (GAÄD) in
collaboration with the Society for Medicinal Plant and
Natural Product Research (GA), the Society for
Phytotherapy (GPT), the German Pharmaceutical Society
(DPhG) and the Central Association of Doctors in
Naturopathic and Regulation Medicine (ZAEN), with the
International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology
(APV) acting as a cooperation partner. The scientific
organising committee was made up of Prof. Dr. Susanne
Alban (Kiel), Prof. Dr. Hans Becker (St. Ingbert), Prof.
Dr. Wolfgang Blaschek (Kiel), Prof. em. Dr. Dr. h.c.
mult. Fritz H. Kemper (Münster), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang
Kreis (Erlangen), PD Dr. Harald Matthes (Berlin), Prof.
Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Heinz Schilcher (Immenstadt) and Dr.
Rainer Stange (Berlin). The symposium was coordinated
by Dr. Rainer Scheer, of the Carl Gustav Carus Institute
in Niefern-Öschelbronn.
A particular feature of this mistletoe symposium was the
broad range of topics covered, reflecting the breadth of
current research on this important medicinal plant.
Pharmaceutical, pharmacological and medical topics
were presented by means of 8 summary papers, 24 short
lectures and 19 posters. The specific areas dealt with
included pharmaceutical aspects of the manufacture of
mistletoe preparations and the effects of various
constituents, in vitro and in-vivo preclinical studies,
studies on the immunology and cytotoxicity of presently
marketed or developmental mistletoe preparations,
clinical results obtained in various applications and
tumour entities in both adjuvant and palliative therapeutic
settings in both human and veterinary medicine, reports
from medical practice, and clinical studies designed to
demonstrate specific effects, the efficacy, the safety and
tolerability of mistletoe preparations. All the abstracts
from the symposium have been published in English in
Phytomedicine (Elsevier-Verlag) 18 (2011), Supplement
VIII and are freely available in the internet at
www.ScienceDirect.com. The abstract booklets which are
still in stock are available on request from the author of
this article. The following paragraphs provide details of
11
the summary papers and the topic of pancreatic
carcinoma.
As might be expected, the focus of the pharmaceutical
presentations was on mistletoe lectins, a class of
substances present in mistletoe extracts which jointly
determine the effects of these extracts. Professor
Blaschek (Kiel) used immunohistochemical methods to
determine the localisation of these lectins in the
mistletoe plant and found differences in this regard
between tissues and seasons. He showed that mistletoe
lectins are mainly located in the shoots rather than the
leaves, especially in the cortical parenchyma and in the
outer sclerenchyma caps of the vascular bundles.
Based on the known structures of mistletoe lectins ML-1
and ML-3 (the molecular structure of ML-2 remains
unknown), Professor Pfüller (Hamburg) discussed the
biochemical and pharmacologically relevant properties
of these proteins, which specifically recognise
galactosyl/N-acetylaminogalactosyl target structures. In
addition to the ribosome-inactivating (cytotoxic) lectins,
a chitin-binding lectin (VisalbCBA) which is specific for
glucosamine groups is also known to exist. The
biochemical properties, biological availability and
stability of the mistletoe lectins are influenced by other
components of mistletoe extracts (viscotoxins, oligo- and
polysaccharides).
Professor Klein (Tübingen) spoke about chronic and
acute inflammation and the dual role of inflammation in
the pathogenesis of cancer. A variety of immune and
inflammatory cells are to be found inside a tumour.
These immunocompetent cells influence the tumour cells
in various ways (via cytokines, chemokines, growth
factors, prostaglandins and reactive oxygen and nitrogen
species). Inflammation influences every single step in
tumorigenesis, from tumour initiation and tumour
maintenance to tumour progression and metastasis. A
rough distinction can be made between tumourdestructive inflammation (TH1 response, M1
macrophages, NK cells) and tumour-promoting
inflammation (TH2 response, M2 macrophages). Both
pro- and anticarcinogenic and inflammatory mechanisms
are present simultaneously in developing tumours, but if
the tumour is not eliminated, the procarcinogenic effects
come to dominate. Signal transduction pathways which
promote the procarcinogenic effects of inflammation
often form a vicious circle. Certain immune and
inflammatory components can exert positive effects on
tumour growth during one stage of tumour development,
but negative effects during another stage. Treatment with
mistletoe preparations, which have long been reported to
stimulate a large number of factors that influence
(anticarcinogenic) tumour-associated inflammation via a
HAUSTORIUM 60
variety of mechanisms, can help break down immune
tolerance to tumour antigens and positively influence the
immune response to tumours. Nevertheless, the
mechanism of such processes varies from tumour to
tumour, and only by continuously expanding our
knowledge of the complex interplay between different
components of the anti-tumour response will we be able
to develop better strategies for treating this disease.
In his talk, Professor Efferth (Mainz) reported on
methods of predicting response to cancer therapy and on
the significance of these for the development of
personalised treatment strategies. In this respect he
discussed a range of subjects including relevant
cytotoxicity tests, immunohistochemical detection of
prognostic markers of therapeutic response and patient
survival time, and modern pharmacogenomic techniques
(comparative genomic hybridisation, DNA methylation
assays, mRNA microarrays, etc.). He compared data he
had obtained using these techniques with clinical patient
data, and presented the results of investigations aimed at
predicting sensitivity or resistance both to cytotoxic
agents and to phytochemicals used in complementary
medicine. In doing so he emphasised the relevance of
these methods to herbal medicines such as mistletoe
preparations.
Dr. Breitkreuz (Bad Liebenzell) reported on recent
developments in anthroposophical mistletoe therapy and
on a series of expert conferences hosted by the GAÄD
between 2008 and 2011. By reference to a number of case
reports he discussed the topics considered at those
conferences, namely dosing strategies (initiation of
therapy: escalating dosage regimen or high initial dose),
choice of host tree, choice of preparation, control of
mistletoe therapy and methods of administration
(subcutaneous, intravenous, intratumoral, intrapleural,
intravesical, oral), with reference to differences between
mistletoe preparations depending on their method of
manufacture. He also discussed questions such as how
mistletoe therapy and conventional therapy are
coordinated and what should be done in the event of
critical treatment incidents or side effects. In order to
provide doctors who prescribe mistletoe therapy with
well-founded information, new study concepts (e.g.
qualitative studies) are being developed, data collection is
being intensified (Network of Oncology, Havelhöhe
Research Institute) and plans are underway for a new
handbook (GAÄD, compilation of evidence on
therapeutic use of anthroposophical medicines), the third
edition (2013) of which is to include reference to
mistletoe preparations.
Dr. Kienle (Freiburg) provided an overview of clinical
studies on mistletoe preparations used in
12
anthroposophical medicine and phytotherapy. More than
140 such studies have been published, of which 60 were
prospective controlled studies. The study objectives were
to improve quality of life, patient survival, tumour
response, and safety and tolerability. Most of the studies
yielded positive results, but due to methodological
differences in quality some received more favourable
reviews than others. One definite finding is that
mistletoe preparations improve quality of life and the
tolerability of conventional cancer therapies. Study data
on safety and tolerability show that after parenteral
administration of mistletoe preparations, side effects are
mostly mild. Most common among these are local
reactions (skin reddening, induration at the injection site
after subcutaneous administration) and a slight rise in
temperature. Both of these types of reaction indicate to
the doctor that the patient is responding to the mistletoe
therapy. There have been occasional reports of
pseudoallergic reactions, but no reports of serious
adverse reactions. Approximately equal numbers of
studies have been conducted in adjuvant and palliative
therapy settings. In recent years, regulatory authority
demands have increasingly led to the performance of (in
most cases randomised) clinical trials (RCTs), although
many medical questions cannot be answered on the basis
of RCTs alone.
The question of studies also received a lot of attention in
the podium discussion on the main topic: “Treatment of
pancreatic carcinoma”. In this discussion it was pointed
out that RCTs investigate the effect or efficacy of drugs
in highly selected patient groups, and do not always
reflect real-world therapeutic situations. For this reason,
greater importance is likely to be attached in the future
to health services research and possibly also to
evaluation of registry data as a means of acquiring
medical and therapeutic knowledge. The Network of
Oncology (NO; Havelhöhe Research Institute, Berlin)
will likewise become more important. At present about
2000 patients per year are documented in the Network of
Oncology.
In his talk on “Options and limitations of ductal
pancreatic cancer treatment”, Professor Seufferlein
(Halle) pointed out that pancreatic carcinoma has a very
poor prognosis. The principal reasons for this, he said,
are firstly the lateness with which the disease is
diagnosed as a result of an absence of symptoms or the
presence of only nonspecific symptoms, and secondly
the resistance of the disease to radiotherapy and
chemotherapy. Only complete resection – which is,
however, rarely possible – offers a possibility of cure. In
his talk, Professor Seufferlein dealt with subjects ranging
from neoadjuvant, adjuvant and palliative therapies to
new therapeutic strategies such as the use of CD40
HAUSTORIUM 60
agonists, which cause breakdown of tumour stroma and
lysis of tumour cells by macrophages. He also referred to
albumin-bound paclitaxel, which is used in the form of
nanoparticles in combination with gemcitabine, and to the
acquisition of more detailed knowledge of tumour
subgroups, which it is hoped will improve the efficiency
of treatment. The following observations apply only to
adjuvant and palliative therapy settings. In Europe the
standard treatment in the adjuvant therapy setting is
chemotherapy alone. With this approach, the 5-year
survival rate has been increased from 9 to 20 percent.
Because of its lower toxicity, gemcitabine is preferred to
bolus administration of 5-FU, although survival rates do
not differ significantly between the two drugs. In the
palliative setting, gemcitabine prolongs survival and
relieves disease-related symptoms and signs such as pain
and weight loss. The median survival time of patients
with metastatic pancreatic carcinoma receiving this
treatment is 6 to 7 months. Combination of gemcitabine
with erlotinib, an EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor,
improves this value (to 10.5 months) only in patients who
show an (inflammatory) skin reaction in the first few
weeks of treatment. Recently Conroy et al. showed that in
patients with metastases, intensified chemotherapy in
accordance with the FOLFIRINOX protocol increases
median survival time to 11.1 months.
Dr. Matthes (Berlin) discussed the use of mistletoe
therapy in adjuvant and palliative therapy settings. In
patients with pancreatic carcinoma, mistletoe
preparations are used subcutaneously (as an adjuvant to
chemotherapy), intravenously and intratumorally in order
to exploit the cytotoxic properties of mistletoe extracts.
Dr. Matthes reported on a controlled, retrospective,
multicentric, pharmacoepidemiological noninterventional
cohort study in which 396 postoperative patients received
conventional therapy with gemcitabine, while those
patients in the mistletoe arm (n=201) also received
Iscador Quercus subcutaneously. This led to an
improvement in terms of quality of life, symptoms
attributable to the disease and its treatment and overall
survival in the mistletoe group as compared to the
comparator group. In a phase I dose escalation study by
Mansky et al. (Bethesda, USA), it was found that use of
mistletoe therapy with Helixor A in combination with
gemcitabine in patients with advanced solid tumours
(n=44; pancreatic carcinoma n=10) was not only well
tolerated, but also higher doses of gemcitabine (as
recommended) were possible. The neutrophil granulocyte
count and its minimum value during chemotherapy
showed a mistletoe dose-depending increase. No
influence whatsoever on the pharmacokinetics of the
cytotoxic drug or on cytokine release was observed. Dr.
Matthes also referred to smaller studies (Schad et al.,
Berlin) in which patients with inoperable pancreatic
carcinoma were treated with intratumorally administered
13
mistletoe preparations of a number of different
manufacturers simultaneously with gemcitabine therapy.
Overall survival time was subsequently found to be 12.2
months in patients in UICC stage III and 11.2 months in
patients in UICC stage IV, with a one-year survival rate
of 26 percent.
Outcome study data obtained by Dr. Spahn (monocentric
integrative therapeutic approach = indication-dependent
combination of conventional with anthroposophical
therapy including mistletoe extract, in most cases
Abnobaviscum; hyperthermia) complemented and
confirmed these favourable results. The result was good
tolerance of treatment with a median survival time of
15.2 months in all patients (n=95) and 12.4 months in
patients with advanced disease (stages III and IV; n=60).
It was thus shown that an integrative therapeutic
approach involving use of mistletoe therapy leads to
results which are at least comparable to those obtained
with purely conventional therapy, but with better
tolerance.
Last but not least, a randomised phase III study (Tröger,
Freiburg; Iscador Qu spezial) in patients with advanced
or metastatic pancreatic carcinoma was described in a
poster. The initial analysis of the results of this study is
to be performed shortly, so the papers to be delivered at
the next Mistletoe Symposium (2015) will be eagerly
awaited. Another phase III study, in this case in patients
with superficial bladder carcinoma (Eisenbraun,
Pforzheim; Abnobaviscum Fraxini), is currently in
preparation. In addition, two prospective pharmacoepidemiological studies on the use of Iscador Qu spezial
in patients with colorectal carcinoma (800 patients) and
pancreatic carcinoma (400 patients) are being conducted
at present.
As the symposium came to an end, all participants
agreed that it had been a great success, and the farewell
words were “See you again in four years’ time in
November 2015 at the 6th Mistletoe Symposium in
Nonnweiler.”
The full texts of all contributions to the symposium are
to be made available, presumably by the end of 2012, in
the form of a book to be published by KVC Verlag
Essen. Further information on this and on previous
mistletoe symposia is available at
www.mistelsymposium.de.
Dr. Rainer Scheer, Carl Gustav Carus-Institut, Am
Eichhof 30, 75223 Niefern-Öschelbronn, Germany.
Presentations:
HAUSTORIUM 60
Gunver S. Kienle, Clinical research on mistletoe therapy
in cancer – Status quo, current projects and
developments.
Thomas Breitkreuz. State of the art and new
developments of anthroposophic mistletoe therapy –
Results from a series of expert conferences hosted by
the German anthroposophic doctor's association
(GAAeD) 2008–2011.
M. Werner et al. Supportive therapy with mistletoe
extract in tumor patients – Results of four controlled
pharmacoepidemiological cohort studies as basis for
prospective studies.
Jürgen Johannes Kuehn. Different routes of application in
mistletoe therapy – Effect on bone marrow and blood
profile. Clinical significance.
R. Ziegler et al. Mistletoe therapy in anthroposophical
hospitals in Switzerland.
H. Matthes et al. Mistletoe therapy in adjuvant and
palliative therapy of pancreatic carcinoma: Concepts–
facts–perspectives.
P.J. Mansky et al. NCCAM/NCI phase 1 study of
mistletoe extract and Gemcitabine in patients with
advanced solid tumors.
M. Brandenberger et al. Quality of life during mistletoe
therapy of cancer patients – An exploratory study
with the additional use of questionnaires,
Wilfried Tröger, Mistletoe therapy for advanced
pancreatic cancer. A group-sequential, randomised,
open label study phase III ISRCTN 70760582.
K.R. Wiebelitz and A.-M. Beer. High dose intravenous
mistletoe treatment – Clinical results, laboratory
findings and adverse events in a series of 17 patients
with 107 intravenous applications.
Jürgen Eisenbraun. Dose-escalation-study with a
mistletoe extract from the ash tree as intravesical
instillation in patients with superficial bladder cancer:
An ICH/GCP phase Ib/IIa study.
M. Orange et al. Two cases of durable regression of
primary B-cell cutaneous lymphoma following
mistletoe treatment alone.
C.M. Strüh et al. Amplification of anti-melanoma activity
of mistletoe extracts by enrichment with solubilized
triterpene acids.
A. Dahl et al. Aqueous mistletoe extracts versus purified
mistletoe lectin-I (pML-I): Effects on melanoma
growth and spread in a human melanoma xenograft
scid mouse model.
J. Burkhart et al. The potential of a mistletoe (Viscum
album L.) extract to alleviate adverse effects of cancer
chemotherapy: An in vitro study.
W. Blaschek et al. Localization of mistletoe lectins ML
I-III in Viscum album L. by immunofluorescent and
immunogold labeling.
T. Ostermann and A. Büssing. Retrolective studies on the
survival of cancer patients treated with mistletoe
extracts – A meta analysis.
14
Y. Klapper et al. Interactions between proteins of
mistletoe or human serum and lipid membranes.
M. Kröz et al. Mistletoe and chemotherapy
responsiveness of different scales in oncological
patients undergoing chemotherapy.
U. Mengs et al. Lectins are the pharmacologically active
constituents in the standardized mistletoe extract
PS76A2 (Lektinol®).
M. Kröz et al. State version of autonomic regulation
(aR): A new scale to distinguish between autonomic
constitution and loss of regulation with regards to
chemo- and mistletoe sensitivity.
U. Pfüller and U. Schumacher. Mistletoe lectins as
biologically active substances in aqueous mistletoe
extracts.
W.F. Eisenbeiß et al. Selective quantification of
mistletoe lectin I in pressed mistletoe juice after
inhibition of mistletoe lectin II and III.
Stefan Seegmüller. Viscotoxin 1-PS from Scots pine
mistletoe– Ecophysiological Hints.
Mira Kohl et al. Comparative investigation of
monosaccharides and sugar alcohols in mistletoes
(Viscum album L.) from different host trees.
J. Doehmer and J. Eisenbraun. Assessment of extracts
from mistletoe (Viscum album) for herb–drug
interaction by inhibition and induction of cytochrome
P450 activities.
C. Werner et al. of the summary of product characteristic
of anthroposophic preparations in parenteral dosage
forms containing mistletoe – Result of a compromise
between the marketing authorization holders and the
German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical
Devices.
U. Pfüller and K. Pfüller. Selective inactivation of the Bsubunit of mistletoe lectins and other RIP-II-lectins
in ionic liquids.
G. Spahn et al. Clinical outcome study in pancreatic
carcinoma using Viscum album therapy in an
integrative approach.
Thomas Efferth. Molecular approaches for
individualized tumor therapy with standard drugs,
phytochemicals, and medicinal herbs.
T.J. Zuzak et al. Viscum album inhibits cell growth,
migration and invasion of pediatric tumor cell lines –
But effects are limited at concentrations found in
serum.
U. Biegel et al. Orally administered Viscum album
Quercus dilutions in the therapy of feline
fibrosarcoma in cats.
J. Gutsch et al. Observational study on treatment of
lymphocytic Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (CLL) with
Viscum album products Helixor P or A: Clinical
course and safety.
O. Christen-Clottu et al. A randomized placebo
controlled study on Viscum album (Iscador P)
treatment of Equine Sarcoids in horses.
HAUSTORIUM 60
Boris Müller-Hübenthal. An online documentation for
specific courses of therapy in oncology:
www.bestcase-oncology.com.
Wolfgang Kreis. Lectins – Potential sources and potential
benefits.
Christian Grah et al. Randomised, open phase II study of
tolerance, safety and efficacy of Viscum album extract
in the palliative, additive treatment of advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).
Catharina I. Delebinski et al. Effects of Viscum album L.
extracts in neuroblastoma in vitro and in vivo.
Catharina I. Delebinski et al. Therapeutic efficacy of
natural compounds from Viscum album L. in acute
lymphoblastic leukaemia.
M. Kröz et al. State version of autonomic regulation
(aR): A new scale to distinguish between autonomic
constitution and loss of regulation with regards to
chemo- and mistletoe sensitivity.
Thomas Seufferlein. Options and limitations of ductal
pancreatic cancer treatment.
A. Staudt et al. Diurnal cortisol profile in breast cancer
patients before and during treatment with Viscum
album (Iscador® P) for 3 or 6 months.
A. Longhi et al. Viscum album fermentatum Pini versus
oral Etoposide as adjuvant treatment in osteosarcoma
patients after second relapse.
F. Schad et al. Multimodal Viscum album L. treatment in
an integrative oncological setting in patients with
advanced pancreatic carcinoma.
C. Kunz et al. Treatment of basal cell carcinoma with
Viscum album lipophilic extract – A case series study.
Gunver S. Kienle et al. Safety of higher dosages of
Viscum album L. in animals and humans – Systematic
review of immune changes and safety parameters.
K. Urech et al. Organ specific and seasonal accumulation
of viscotoxin-isoforms in Viscum album ssp. album.
M. Vranceanu and G. Leneweit. Genuine bilayer
formation during glancing impact of drops on liquid
surfaces both covered by lipid monolayers.
A.P. Simões-Wüst et al. Sensitivity of primary cultures
of breast cancer cells to different Iscador®preparations.
Reinhild Klein. The role of inflammation in the
pathogenesis of cancer.
S. Jäger et al. Cyclodextrin solubilised triterpene extracts
show anti-tumorigenic effects on B16.F10 melanoma
cells in vitro.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S09447
11311004181)
C.v. Hagens et al. Does a treatment with Viscum album
(Iscador® P) in patients with breast cancer influence
the expression of the T-cell receptor (TCR)-zeta
chains of T- and NK-cells?.
Shao Kang Hung et al. Case reports of adverse effects of
herbal medicinal products (HMPs): A quality
assessment,
15
U. Weissenstein et al. Effect of Viscum album lipohilic
extract on human immunocompetent cells in vitro.
Rainer Scheer. Editorial.
(www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S094471
1311002637)
FORTHCOMING MEETINGS
The VIth International Weed Science Congress
(IWSC) will be held on June 17 to 22, 2012 at the New
Century Grand Hotel in Hangzhou, China.The theme of
the Congress is ‘Dynamic weeds – diverse solutions’ and
will include a session on Parasitic Weeds on June 21st
and there will be a further Symposium ‘The State of art
in Parasitic Plants Research in the Technological and
Biotechnological Era’ on June 22nd. For information on
these sessions, contacts are:
H. Eizenberg eizenber@volcani.agri.gov.il
K. Yoneyama yoneyama@cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp
Y. Goldwasser gold@agri.huji.ac.il
For the main programme the contact is:
Per Kudsk Tel.: +45 8999 3582 Email:
Per.Kudsk@agrsci.dk
For registration and hotel accommodation: contact
Mengdi Guan, CICCST, No.86 Xueyuan Nanlu, Beijing
100081, P. R. China Tel: 86 10 6218 0144 86 10 6217
4948 Fax: 86 10 6218 0723 Email:
gmd@congress.com.cn. Or register online via
http://www.iwss.info/ .
Deadline for early registration is March 1. The fee will
increase thedreafter.
N.B. Active members pay a discounted fee for the
Congress, will have voting privileges for the election of
officers, and will have members-only access to abstracts
for the first two years after the Congress.You are advised
to renew your membership to IWSS via
http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/iws/DEFAULT.htm .
BOOKS
Parker and Riches, 1993. Parasitic Weeds of the
World: Biology and Control. Wallingford, UK:
CABI.
This has been out of print for some years and the coauthors regrettably declined invitations to prepare a
revised edition (we couldn’t quite face it!). Now CABI
have decided to re-issue on a ‘print-on-demand’ basis.
The price is not yet available but is expected to be in the
HAUSTORIUM 60
16
range £75-£95. Sadly it has not been possible to correct
any of the embarrasing errors in the original.
Chris Parker.
THESES
Muhammad Jamil (PhD Thesis, Wageningen
University, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 2011.) The
relationship between strigolactones and Striga
hermonthica infection in cereals. With summaries in
English, Dutch and Urdu, 192 pp.
Cereal production in Africa is under increasing constraint
due to the obligate, out-crossing, hemiparasitic weed
Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth, a member of the
Scrophulariaceae family. Striga parasitizes roots of
cereals like sorghum, pearl millet, maize and upland rice.
It has infested about 40% of the African agricultural land,
resulting in severe yield losses or even complete crop
failure worth US$7 billion per annum. The subsistence
farmers or approximately 300 million African people lose
about 20-80% of their crop because of this weed. This
considerable damage by Striga is due to the fact that
existing control measures are often ineffective. These
include cultural and mechanical measures, such as hand
pulling, that are mainly adopted after its emergence.
Since much of the damage occurs underground during the
early stages of parasitism, there is a need to develop
control strategies that target the weed prior to attachment
and emergence. A crucial step in the lifecycle of Striga is
the induction of germination by strigolactones, signalling
molecules secreted by the roots of its host. These
strigolactones could be an important target to control this
weed at the pre attachment phase. Control methods
targeted at the germination and attachment phase, based
on low strigolactones, might prove to be more effective
and result in reduced infestation of this weed in cereal
crops. In my thesis we studied the relationship between
strigolactones and Striga infection in cereals and explored
opportunities for lowering Striga damage at the
germination or attachment phase. To this end different
aspects like strigolactone biosynthetic inhibitors, genetic
variation for strigolactone production, and the effect of
fertilizers on strigolactone production were investigated
in laboratory studies and – when possible - in the field in
Kenya and Mali.
The first investigation was on the use of carotenoid
inhibitors to see the possibilities of strigolactone
reduction in the roots of plants by blocking carotenoid
biosynthesis. We postulated in this study that the (mild)
inhibition of carotenoid biosynthesis by carotenoid
inhibitors, could lead to a reduced production of
strigolactones and decreased Striga germination and
infection. Very low concentrations of four different
carotenoid inhibitors (fluridone, norflurazon, clomazone
and amitrole) were applied to rice either through
irrigation or through foliar spray. Irrigation application
of all carotenoid inhibitors and spray application of
amitrole significantly decreased strigolactone
production. A significant negative relationship between
inhibitor concentration and Striga germination and
attachment was noted for irrigation application of
fluridone, clomazone and norflurazon while amitrole
application showed significance only in Striga
germination. Application of carotenoid inhibitors caused
61-75% reduction in Striga germination and 65-94%
reduction in Striga attachment. The study shows that the
reducing effect of carotenoid inhibitors (which, in much
higher concentrations are widely used as herbicides) on
strigolactone secretion and subsequent Striga
germination and attachment may be developed into an
attractive Striga control technology.
Another experiment (Chapter 3) was aimed at assessing
the pre-attachment Striga resistance based on low
strigolactone production. We hypothesized that low
strigolactones producing crop cultivars might possess
pre-attachment Striga resistance due to less germination.
For this purpose a set of 18 upland cultivars of NERICA
and their parentswere screened for strigolactones
production and Striga infection parameters like
germination, attachment, emergence and Striga dry
biomass. NERICA 1 and CG14 produced significantly
less strigolactones and showed less Striga infection
while NERICAs 7, 8, 11 and 14 produced the highest
amounts of strigolactones and showed the most severe
Striga infection. A positive relationship between the
amount of strigolactones and Striga infection was
seenamong the rice cultivars. This study shows that
genetic variation for pre-attachment Striga resistance
exists in NERICA rice due to variation in strigolactones.
This could be highly relevant for breeding programs
aimed at the development of Striga resistant cultivars.
In Chapter 4 we hypothesized that variation in
strigolactone production in rice might be interconnected
with the tillering phenotype and that this link could
affect Striga infection. In this study the genetic variation
was tested in a series of rice varieties collected from all
over the world for strigolactone production, tillering
phenotype and Striga infection. Rice cultivars like IAC
165, IAC 1246, Gangweondo and Kinko produced high
amounts of the strigolactones, displayed low amounts of
tillers and induced high Striga germination, attachment,
emergence as well as Striga biomass. In contrast to this,
rice cultivars such as Super Basmati, TN 1, Anakila and
Agee showed low production of strigolactones and also
low Striga germination and infection but high tillering.
Statistical analysis across all the varieties confirmed a
strong positive correlation between strigolactone
production and Striga infection and a negative
HAUSTORIUM 60
relationship with tillering. These results show that genetic
variation in strigolactone production results in variation
in tillering and also in Striga infection. The tillering
phenotype could possibly be used as an easy indicator of
the strigolactone production in a breeding programme for
Striga resistance.
A number of experiments (Chapters 5, 6, 7) were
designed with the aim to quantify the relationship
between strigolactones and Striga germination and
attachment and to explore the mechanism responsible for
the reported reduction in Striga parasitism in the field
after fertilizer application. We hypothesized that a better
mineral nutrient supply reduces Striga infection by
reducing strigolactone exudation into the rhizosphere.
Different levels of nitrogen and phosphorous were
applied under greenhouse conditions using rice, maize
and sorghum. For maize and sorghum, a parallel study
was carried out under field conditions in Kenya and Mali
to study the translation of greenhouse results to the field.
Application of N and P effectively suppressed Striga
infection in the greenhouse in all three crop species and
the reduction strongly correlated with reduced secretion
of strigolactones into the rhizosphere and the Striga
germination induced by these exudates. Production of
strigolactones also differed strongly between crop
cultivars. Rice cv IAC 165 produced about 100-fold
higher amounts of 2'-epi-5-deoxystrigol, orobanchol and
three new strigolactones than TN 1. Although the field
results with maize in Kenya were less consistent than in
the greenhouse, aespecially with respect to P effect, still
there was a trend that fertilizer application reduced Striga
infection. Microdosing of diammonium phosphate
fertilizer in sorghum in the field in Mali also showed
considerable Striga suppression which correlated with the
results on strigolactone production and Striga infection in
the greenhouse. These results show that the positive
effect of fertilizer against Striga is at least partly due to a
reduction in strigolactone production and as a
consequence of that lower Striga germination and
subsequent attachment. However, further research to
optimize field application of fertilizers for Striga is
needed.
Overall it can be concluded that there is a good
correlation between strigolactones and Striga
germination, attachment and biomass. We found this
using strigolactone biosynthesis inhibitors, genetic
variation and using fertilizer application. These
technologies can hence be exploited as an important tool
to target Striga at a very early phase of its life cycle. The
practical field application of these strategies requires
further research but could lead to effective Striga control
components that can be used in Integrated Striga
Management.
17
W. Kohlen, (PhD Thesis. Wageningen University,
Wageningen, Netherlands, 2011). Regulation of
biosysnthesis and transport of strigolactones and
their effect on plant development. 192 pp.
Strigolactones are carotenoid derived signaling
molecules initially identified as germination stimulants
for root parasites of the Orobanchaceae family and presymbiotic signal for arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM). They
have been identified in the root extracts and exudates of
many plant species. Recently, strigolactones – or their
derivatives – were identified to be the branch inhibiting
signal. This elusive signal is graft transmissible and
originating - partly - from the root system. However, the
exact origin of strigolactones in the shoot is unknown.
Nevertheless, it is likely that strigolactones are
transported to the shoot where they exert their shoot
branching inhibiting effect in concert with auxin and
cytokinins. However, reports of strigolactones in aerial
parts of the plant are scarce.
Strigolactone biosynthesis is not fully elucidated. An
unknown carotenoid substrate is sequentially cleaved by
CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE 7
(CCD7) and CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE
DIOXYGENASE 8 (CCD8). In addition to this, two
enzymes MORE AXILLARY GROWTH 1 and
DWARF 27 are also involved in strigolactone
biosynthesis. However, their precise role in strigolactone
biosynthesis remains unknown.
In Chapter 1, the root parasitic plants of the
Orobanchaceae family and the problems they cause in
agriculture are introduced. Furthermore, the role of
strigolactones in the root parasite lifecycle as well as in
AM symbiosis are addressed. In addition, the recently
discovered strigolactone role in shoot architecture, their
biosynthesis, hormonal signaling and the two theories on
how strigolactones might be integrated into the apical
dominance are described.
The first genuine strigolactone derived form the
strigolactone biosynthetic pathway is thought to be 5deoxystrigol. This strigolactone is postulated to be the
precursor for all known strigolactones, which are
believed to be derived from this compound through a
number of different enzymatic and/or non-enzymatic
steps. In Chapter 2, the biosynthesis of solanacol in the
roots of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is described.
This strigolactone contains an aromatic A-ring and
therefore its biosynthesis from the precursor 5deoxystrigol is not obvious. On the basis of the presence
of other strigolactones in tomato (orobanchol,
orobanchyl acetate, two 7-hydroxy-orobanchol isomers,
7-oxo-orobanchol and four didehydro-orobanchol
isomers) we postulate how solanacol can be derived
HAUSTORIUM 60
from 5-deoxystrigol through a series of enzymatic
hydroxylation-dehydroxylation reactions with migration
of a methyl group and the introduction of double bonds.
In Chapter 3 we report the cloning of a tomato
CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE 8
(SlCCD8) and demonstrate that reduction of its
expression leads to reduced strigolactone levels in root
extracts, exudates and xylem sap. All lines display
excessive lateral shoot branching, reduced plant height
and increased numbers of nodes. We show that the
severity of these phenotypes correlates with the level of
orobanchol present in tomato xylem sap. Furthermore, we
demonstrate that a mild reduction in strigolactone
biosynthesis and concomitant secretion into the
rhizosphere is sufficient to reduce root parasitism by
Phelipanche ramosa by about 90% without
compromising apical dominance or AM symbiosis
establishment too much. We also report additional
phenotypes in tomato reproductive development (such as
smaller flowers, fruits and seeds) - normally associated
with reduced auxin levels – to be present in these
strigolactone-deficient transgenic lines. We demonstrate
decreased levels of free auxin in these organs, indicating
that these phenotypes might be the consequence of the
removal of the down-regulating effect of strigolactones
on auxin levels.
18
strigolactone analysis and identified its strigolactone
composition to consist of didehydro-orobanchol (major)
and orobanchol (minor). With this work we identify for
the first time transcription factors that are regulating
strigolactone biosynthesis. We demonstrate that NSP1
functions in strigolactone biosynthesis by regulating
DWARF27 expression. Our in vitro binding studies
indicate that MtDWARF27 is a primary target of
MtNSP1. We also demonstrate that MtNSP2 is essential
for conversion of orobanchol into didehydro-orobanchol.
NSP1 and NSP2 are single copy genes in legumes,
implying that the proteins they encode fulfill dual
regulatory functions of different downstream targets:
symbiotic and non-symbiotic. Since NSP1 and NSP2 are
required for strigolactone biosynthesis in rice as well as
Medicago and these two species represent distinct
phylogenetic lineages that split ~150 million years ago,
we postulate that regulation of strigolactone biosynthesis
by NSP1 and NSP2 is an ancestral function conserved in
higher plants.
In addition to strigolactones, the - well described phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is also derived from
the carotenoid pathway. Earlier results in our group
indicated that a mutation in 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid
dioxygenase (NCED) - an enzyme involved in ABAbiosynthesis - results in lower strigolactone levels. For
this reason we investigated the relationship between ABA
and strigolactones. Our findings are reported in chapter
4. We demonstrate that the carotenoid cleavage
dioxygenase (CCD) inhibitor D2 reduces strigolactone
but not ABA content of roots. However, in plants treated
with abamineSG - an inhibitor of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid
dioxygenase (NCED) - and in the ABA mutants
Notabilis, Sitiens and Flacca (mutants in two different
enzymatic steps in ABA biosynthesis), both ABA and
strigolactone levels were strongly reduced. Our results
indicate a correlation between ABA levels and
strigolactone biosynthesis, and suggest a role for ABA in
the regulation of strigolactone biosynthesis.
In Chapter 6 strigolactone biosynthesis is assessed using
Arabidopsis thaliana as a model. Strict control of
environmental conditions and optimization of analytical
protocols for strigolactone analysis enabled the detection
of orobanchol, orobanchyl acetate and 5-deoxystrigol in
Arabidopsis. In this chapter we demonstrate that the
relation between phosphate starvation and the upregulation of strigolactone biosynthesis is also present in
this non AM species. Most land plants are mycorrhizal,
which is believed to be the ancestral condition. Hence
lack of AM symbiosis in Arabidopsis is likely to be a
derived trait. We postulate that strigolactone exudation
into the rhizosphere is a relic of this ancestral trait lost
by Arabidopsis. However, our data show that
strigolactone up-regulation in Arabidopsis under
phosphorus deficient conditions serves to restrict the
outgrowth of lateral shoot branches. We postulate that
this represents an evolutionary advantage which could be
the new driving force for the preservation of low
phosphate induced strigolactone biosynthesis, as AM
colonization no longer is in Arabidopsis. We
demonstrate that orobanchol is transported through the
xylem sap and that its concentration is elevated under
phosphorus deficient conditions and we provide
analytical evidence that MAX1 is required for
orobanchol biosynthesis.
In Chapter 5 the role of two GRAS-type transcription
factors (NSP1 and NSP2) in the regulation of
strigolactone biosynthesis is assessed. In legumes these
transcription factors are essential for Rhizobium Nod
factor induced nodulation. In this chapter we show that
NSP1 and NSP2 are required for strigolactone
biosynthesis in Medicago truncatula and rice. Hereto we
have developed M. truncatula as a model for
Recently, a novel function for strigolactones in the
regulation of root system architecture (RSA) of tomato
and Arabidopsis has been discovered. In Chapter 7 we
show that reduced strigolactone biosynthesis or
perception - as displayed by the max1,2,4 mutants - leads
to a reduction in the length of the primary root meristem.
We demonstrate that application of the synthetic
strigolactone analog GR24 is able to rescue this
HAUSTORIUM 60
phenotype in all max mutants except the strigolactone
insensitive mutant, max2. Furthermore - when grown
under sufficient phosphate conditions - GR24 application
reduces the amount of lateral roots (LR) - arresting their
development at phase five of lateral root primordia (LRP)
initiation. We also show that higher concentrations of
GR24 blocked LRP initiation completely and caused the
primary root meristem to collapse. However, when GR24
application is accompanied by exogenous application of
NAA, it has a stimulatory effect on lateral root
development and outgrowth. Similarly, under phosphatelimiting conditions, up-regulation of endogenous
strigolactones (chapter 6) present in wild type plants
stimulated a more rapid outgrowth of lateral root
primordia when compared with strigolactone-deficient
mutants. In addition, we demonstrate that – under
sufficient phosphate conditions - GR24 application to the
root system of Arabidopsis leads to reduced auxin
concentrations in the leaves. Combined, these results
suggest that strigolactones are modulating local auxin
gradients and hence influence changes in root
architecture. Therefore, the net result of strigolactone
action on root development depends on the auxin status
of the plant. We postulate that a tightly balanced auxinstrigolactone interaction is the basis for the mechanism
by which plants regulate their root to shoot ratio for
example under phosphate limited conditions.
19
For information on the EU COST 849 Project (now
completed) and reports of its meetings see:
http://cost849.ba.cnr.it/
For information on the EWRS Working Group ‘Parasitic
weeds’ see: http://www.ewrs.org/parasitic_weeds.asp
For a description and other information about the
Desmodium technique for Striga suppression, see:
http://www.push-pull.net/
For The Mistletoe Center (including a comprehensive
Annotated Bibliography on mistletoes, up to 2005)
see: http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/mistletoe/
For information on the 11th World Congress on Parasitic
Plants in Martina Franca, Italy, June 2011, see:
http://ipps2011.ba.cnr.it
For the work of Forest Products Commission (FPC) on
sandalwood, see: http://www.fpc.wa.gov.au (Search
Santalum)
For past and future issues of the Sandalwood Research
Newsletter, see:
http://www.jcu.edu.au/mbil/srn/index.html
For information on the work of the African Agricultural
Technology Foundation (AATF) on Striga control in
Kenya, including periodical ‘Strides in Striga
management’ newsletters, see: http://www.aatfafrica.org/
LITERATURE
In Chapter 8 we summarize and discuss the most
important results obtained from the work presented in this
thesis and integrate these into the current knowledge on
strigolactones, both as a plant hormone as well as
rhizosphere signaling molecule. In this chapter we also
consider the future perspectives of strigolactone research,
especially related to the root parasitic weed problem.
GENERAL WEB SITES
For individual web-site papers and reports see
LITERATURE
For information on the International Parasitic Plant
Society, current issue of Haustorium, etc. see:
http://www.parasiticplants.org/
For past and current issues of Haustorium see also:
http://www.odu.edu/~lmusselm/haustorium/index.sht
ml
For the ODU parasitic plant site see:
http://www.odu.edu/~lmusselm/plant/parasitic/index.
php
For Dan Nickrent’s ‘The Parasitic Plant Connection’ see:
http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/
For the Parasitic Plant Genome Project (PPGP) see:
http://ppgp.huck.psu.edu/
* indicates web-site reference only
Abbes, Z., Sellami, F., Amri, M. and Kharrat, M. 2011.
Variation in the resistance of some faba bean
genotypes to Orobanche crenata. Pakistan Journal of
Botany 43(4) 2017-2021. [The genotypes Baraca and
Giza429 and the breeding line Bader showed high
resistance to O. crenata in Tunisia. The line Bader
had previously shown resistance to O. foetida.]
Abdelhamid, M.T., Shokr, M.M. and Bekheta, M.A.
2010. Growth, root characteristics, and leaf nutrients
accumulation of four faba bean (Vicia faba L.)
cultivars differing in their broomrape tolerance and
the soil properties in relation to salinity.
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
41: 2713-2728. [Results from additions of sodium
chloride to faba bean growing in pots suggested a
positive relationship between salt tolerance and
tolerance of Orbanche crenata.]
Abdullahi, K., Abubakar, M.G., Umar, R.A., Gwarzo,
M.S., Muhammad, M. and Ibrahim, H.M. 2011.
Studies on the larvicidal efficacy of aqueous extracts
of Striga hermonthica (Delile) Benth and
Mitracarpus scaber (Zucc) on Culex
quinquefasciatus (culicidae) mosquito larvae. Journal
of Medicinal Plants Research 5(21): 5321-5323.
[Extracts of S. hermonthica showed larvicidal
HAUSTORIUM 60
properties against C. quinquefaschiatus at levels of
0.1-2%.]
Ahn JoonWoo, Kim SukWeon, Liu JangRyol and Jeong
WonJoong 2011. aSpoU1 (SpoU gene) may be
involved in organelle rRNA/tRNA modification in
Viscum album. Plant Biotechnology Reports 5(3):
289-295.
Ahom, R.I. and Magani, I.E. 2010. Response of the
parasitic plant (Striga hermonthica) seeds to different
germination stimulants produced by sesame and
pigeon pea varieties. Agriculture and Biology Journal
of North America 1(6): 1199-1205. [Highest
germination of S. hermonthica was by sesame
varieties 69B-882 and Yandev 55 (48% and 30%
respectively). Germination was much lower with most
of the other 15 varieties tested. Maximum
germination with 13 varieties of pigeon pea was only
4%.]
Aina, V.O., Inuwa, H.M., Ibrahim, S. and Ameh, D.A.
2010. Phytochemical screening and antibacterial
activity of Aginanthus brunneus extracts. Continental
Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology Research 3:
1-4. [Extracts of Agelanthus (not Aginanthus)
brunneus (Loranthaceae) show activity against some
bacteria.]
Aly, R., Hamamouch, N., Abu-Nassar, J., Wolf, S., Joel,
D.M., Eizenberg, H., Kaisler, E., Cramer, C., Gal-On,
A. and Westwood, J.H. 2011. Movement of protein
and macromolecules between host plants and the
parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca Pers. Plant
Cell Reports 30(12): 2233-2241. [Demonstrating host
to parasite movement of soluble GFP expressed under
control of the Arabidopsis SUC2 promoter. Also
showing flow of large (70 kDa) dextrans through the
xylem and that the flow through the xylem can be
bidirectional.]
Amusan, I.O., Rich, P.J., Housley, T. and Ejeta, G. 2011.
An in vitro method for identifying postattachment
Striga resistance in maize and sorghum. Agronomy
Journal 103(5): 1472-1478. [Describing the sandpacked titer plate assay (SPTPA) for observing postattachment behaviour of Striga seedlings on crop
roots.]
Anderle, B., Dakskobler, I. and Frajman, B. 2009. (92.
Orobanche flava Mart. ex F. W. Schultz. New
localities in the Alpine (Julian and Kamnik Alps,
Karavanke), pre-Alpine (Škofjeloško hribovje,
Šentviška planota) and Dinaric (Trebuša valley)
phytogeographical areas of Slovenia.) (in Slovenian)
Hladnikia 24: 46-50.
Anderle, B. and Leban, V. 2011. (Novelties in the flora of
the Gorenjska region (Northwestern Slovenia).) (in
Slovenian) Hladnikia 27: 27-56. [Including new
records for Viscum album subsp. abietis.]
Angula, Z.O., Avav, T. and Ekefan, E.J. 2008. Farmers'
evaluation of maize hybrids and planting date for
20
Striga management in Tarka Local Government Area
of Benue State, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Weed
Science 21: 12-22. [Benefits recorded from S.
hermonthica-tolerant maize varieties in conjunction
with N or legumes,]
Anh Thu Pham, Dvergsnes, C., Togola, A.,
Wangensteen, H., Diallo, D., Paulsen, B.S. and
Malterud, K.E. 2011. Terminalia macroptera, its
current medicinal use and future perspectives.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 137(3): 1486-1491.
[Noting that unspecified ‘Loranthus’ spp. growing on
T. macroptera are also used medicinally.]
ANON. 2011. Minor diseases of coffee and their
management. Indian Coffee 75(7/8): 23-26.
[Including reference to Cuscuta reflexa, Balanophora
indica (occurring above 1000m elevation) and
Santalum album.]
*ANON. 2011. Mistletoe League Project
(http://www.british.mistletoe.org.uk/index.html) [The
home page for the Mistletoe League Project, a survey
initiative from the Mistletoe Matters consultancy in
Gloucestershire, England. See Press Release above.]
Asami, T. 2011. Creation of function regulators of plant
hormones and their application to physiology,
genetics and agriculture. Journal of Pesticide Science
36(2): 278-285. [Reviewing the creation of
functional analogs and inhibitors of plant hormones
with examples of brassinosteroids, ABA biosynthesis
inhibitors and regulators of strigolactone function:
SL mimics, SL biosynthesis inhibitor and SL
biosynthesis regulation through gibberellin.]
Askew, S.E., Shamoun, S.F. and van der Kamp, B.J.
2011. Assessment of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
as a biological control agent for management of
hemlock dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium tsugense).
Forest Pathology 41(6): 444-452. [C. gloeosporioides
reduced the fruiting of A. tsugense somewhat, but
failed to invade and kill the mistletoe endophytic
system within the host.]
Atera, E.A., Itoh, K. and Onyango, J.C. 2011. Evaluation
of ecologies and severity of Striga weed on rice in
sub-Saharan Africa. Agriculture and Biology Journal
of North America, 2,(5): 752-760. [A general
description of the problem of Striga spp. in rice and
the lack of satisfactory control measures.]
Avijit Ghosh, Rahaman, C.H. and Sudhendu Mandal.
2011. Observation on the ethnomedicinal uses of
plants for gynaecological, urino-genital and other
related problems by the tribal people of Birbhum and
Murshidabad districts, West Bengal, India.
Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 35(1):
17-26. [Cuscuta reflexa among ‘noteworthy’ plants
listed.]
Ayongwa, G.C., Stomph, T.J., Belder, P., Leffelaar, P.A.
and Kuyper, T.W. 2011. Organic matter and seed
survival of Striga hermonthica - mechanisms for
HAUSTORIUM 60
seed depletion in the soil. Crop Protection 30(12):
1594-1600. [Organic matter reduced seed longevity of
S. hermonthica in the soil, apparently through nutrient
release following decomposition of the organic
matter. Paper based on PhD study reported in
Haustorium 59.]
Ayongwa, G.C., Stomph, T.J. and Kuyper, T.W. 2011.
Host-parasite dynamics of Sorghum bicolor and
Striga hermonthica - the influence of soil organic
matter amendments of different C:N ratio. Crop
Protection 30(12): 1613-1622. [Showing that the
quality of organic matter influences the decline in S.
hermonthica over 3 seasons, proportionally to its rate
of N-mineralisation. Based on PhD study, as above.]
Babalola, O.O. 2010. Improved mycoherbicidal activity
of Fusarium arthrosporioides. African Journal of
Microbiology Research 4(15): 1659-1662.
[Suggesting that cellulase in conjunction with F.
arthrosporioides increased mortality of Orobanche
aegyptiaca tubercles on roots of tomato.]
Bachhav, S.S.. Patil, S.D., Bhutada, M.S. and Surana, S.J.
2011. Oleanolic acid prevents glucocorticoid-induced
hypertension in rats. Phytotherapy Research 25(10):
1435-1439. [Studies in Maharashtra, India, suggest
that oleanolic acid present in extracts from Viscum
articulatum prevents dexamethasone-induced
hypertension in rats, due to its antioxidant and nitric
oxide releasing action.]
Bacieczko, W., Klera, M. and Kochanek-Felusiak, A.
2010. (The diversity of vascular flora of Stróśewska
stream valley in Pyrzycko-Stargardzka plain
mesoregion.) (in Polish) Folia Pomeranae
Universitatis Technologiae Stetinensis, Agricultura,
Alimentaria, Piscaria et Zootechnica 278(14): 5-38.
[Listera ovata, Epipactis helleborine, Orchis militaris
and Orobanche pallidiflora referred to as having
‘significant natural value’ (in Poland).]
Baheti, D.G., Kadam, S.S., Namdeo Ajay, Shinde, P.B.,
Agrawal, M.R. and Argade, P.D. 2010.
Pharmacognostic screening of Dendrophthoe falcata.
Pharmacognosy Journal 2(6): 128-131.
*Bakkiyaraj, S. and Pandiyaraj, S. 2011. Evaluation of
potential antimicrobial activity of some medicinal
plants against common food-borne pathogenic
microorganism. International Journal of Pharma and
Bio Sciences 2(2): B-484-491.
(http://www.ijpbs.net/volume2/issue2/bio/55.pdf)
[Santalum album among 5 species screened for antimicrobial activity against seven pathogens, showing
high activity against Candida albicans and Bacillus
subtilis but inactive against Escherichia coli,
Aspergillus niger.]
Bao GenSheng and Wang HongSheng. 2011.
(Allelopathic effects of Pedicularis kansuensis on
several Poaceae grass species on alpine meadow.) (in
Chinese) Chinese Journal of Grassland 33(2): 88-94.
21
[Concluding that allelopathy of P. kansuensis was
one of the factors causing the spread of this
poisonous weed in degraded alpine meadow on the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.]
Barlow, S., Sanderson, R., Port, G., Haukeland, S.,
Symondson, B., King, R.A., Shaw, E.M. and Bell,
J.R. 2011. The effect of slugs on seedling recruitment
and community composition in upland hay meadow
plant communities. IOBC/WPRS Bulletin 64: 85-89.
[Recording a significant effect of slug grazing on
Rhinanthus minor, interfering with its use as a
management tool to reduce the dominance of
competitive grass species in species-poor meadows.]
Barrett, T.M. and Christensen, G.A. 2011. Forests of
southeast and south-central Alaska, 2004-2008: fiveyear forest inventory and analysis report. General
Technical Report - Pacific Northwest Research
Station, USDA Forest Service, 2011, PNW-GTR835, 156 pp. [Including reference to Arceuthobium
spp.]
Basweti, E.A., Jama, B. A,, Koech, E.K. and Okalebo,
J.R. 2011. Effect of improved fallows and
phosphorus application on weeds and maize yield in
smallholder farming system of Western Kenya.
American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural &
Environmental Sciences 10(4): 507-514. [In a
comparison of continuous maize cropping,
Crotalaria grahamiana fallow, Tithonia diversifolia
fallow and natural fallow, the T. diversifolia fallow
led to higher Striga hermonthica infestation than C.
grahamiana.]
Baumgartner, L., Schwaiger, S. and Stuppner, H. 2011.
Quantitative analysis of anti-inflammatory lignan
derivatives in Ratanhiae radix and its tincture by
HPLC-PDA and HPLC-MS. Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 56(3): 546552. [Root preparations of Krameria lappacea
(Krameriaceae), used traditionally against
oropharyngeal inflammation, shown to contain
mainly (+)-conocarpan and ratanhiaphenol II.]
Baumgartner, L.and 18 others. 2011. Lignan derivatives
from Krameria lappacea roots inhibit acute
inflammation in vivo and pro-inflammatory
mediators in vitro. Journal of Natural Products 74(8):
1779-1786. [Findings support the
ethnopharmacological use of K. lappacea roots
against oropharyngeal inflammation and reveal that
the isolated lignan derivatives contribute strongly to
these effects.]
Bhardwaj, S.K. and Laura, J.S. 2008. The potential use
of some plant-extracts against Curvularia lunata.
National Journal of Life Sciences 5(1): 111-115.
[Cuscuta reflexa among species with activity against
C. lunata.]
Birschwilks, M., Sauer, N., Scheel, D. and Neumann, S.
2007. Arabidopsis thaliana is a susceptible host plant
HAUSTORIUM 60
for the holoparasite Cuscuta spec. Planta 226(5):
1231-1241.
Bolin, J., Maas, E. and Musselman, L.J. 2011. A new
species of Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) from Southern
Africa. Systematic Botany 36(2): 255-260. [Distinctly
longer tepal lobes and the largest flower metrics in the
section Euhydnora distinguish H. visseri (named in
honour of the late Johann Visser – see item above,
including picture) from H. africana and Hydnora
longicollis. At one known site where H. africana and
H. visseri occur in sympatry, differences in flowering
phenology and host preference appear to reinforce
species boundaries.]
Bonfante, P., Requena, N., Oldroyd, G.E.D. and
Robatzek, S. 2011. Dating in the dark: how roots
respond to fungal signals to establish arbuscular
mycorrhizal symbiosis. Current Opinion in Plant
Biology 14(4): 451-457. [Review on the exchange of
signalling molecules between host plants and
arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, dealing with factors
released by the host - including strigolactones - as
well as compounds produced by the fungus that
induce the symbiotic modus of the plant.]
Boukhris-Bouhachem, S., Youssef, S.B. and Kharrat, M.
2011. First report of Geoica utricularia (Hemiptera:
Aphididae) population on parasitic broomrape
Orobanche foetida. Florida Entomologist 94(2): 343344. [In Tunisia.]
Brand, J.E. and Pronk, G.M. 2011. Influence of age on
sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) oil content within
different wood grades from five plantations in
Western Australia. Australian Forestry 74(2): 141148. [Results indicate that to obtain a large proportion
of high-grade wood from sandalwood plantations the
stand age may have to be at least 25 years.]
Briggs, J. 2011. Mistletoe – a review of its distribution,
conservation and insect associates. British Wildlife
23(1): 23-31. [An in-depth review of the status of
Viscum album in UK and its apparent decline in some
areas associated with decline of its favoured host
apple, but tendency to increase in others, perhaps
related to birds and/or climate. Other main hosts
include lime, hawthorn and poplar. Also recording
two new associated insects - a weevil Ixapion
variegatum and a mirid bug, Hypseloecus visci.]
Bruschi, P., Morganti, M., Mancini, M. and Signorini,
M.A. 2011. Traditional healers and laypeople: a
qualitative and quantitative approach to local
knowledge on medicinal plants in Muda
(Mozambique). Journal of Ethnopharmacology
138(2): 543-563. [Of 162 species with traditional
medicinal use in Mozambique the species with
highest ‘Cultural Importance index’ is Ximenia caffra
(Ximeniaceae). (= Ximenia americana var. caffra)]
Burns, A.E., Cunningham, S.A. and Watson, D.M. 2011.
Arthropod assemblages in tree canopies: a
22
comparison of orders on box mistletoe (Amyema
miquelii) and its host eucalypts. Australian Journal of
Entomology 50(3): 221-230. [Arthropod populations
were higher on 3 Eucalyptus hosts than on A.
miquelii perhaps due to higher N content in the host.]
Byamukama, R., Jordheim, M., Kiremire, B.T. and
Andersen, Ø.M. 2011. Primitive anthocyanin from
flowers of three hemiparasitic African mistletoes.
Archives of Applied Science Research 3(3): 1-5.
[Anthocyanins from the flowers of Tapinanthus
buvumae, T. constrictiflorus and Phragmanthera
usuiensis shown to be mainly cyanidin 3-O-βglucopyranoside, comparable to those from
Cynomorium coccineum and Cassytha spp.]
Cao Lin, Xiao ZhiShu, Guo Cong and Chen Jin. 2011.
Scatter-hoarding rodents as secondary seed
dispersers of a frugivore-dispersed tree Scleropyrum
wallichianum in a defaunated Xishuangbanna
tropical forest, China. Integrative Zoology 6(3): 227234. [Scatter-hoarding rodents can play a significant
role in maintaining seedling establishment of S.
wallichianum (Santalaceae) and are able to at least
partly compensate for the loss of large frugivorous
vertebrates in seed dispersal.]
Cardoso, L.J.T., Alves, R.J.V. and Braga, J.M.A.. 2011.
A new species and a key for Langsdorffia
(Balanophoraceae). Systematic Botany 36(2): 424427. [L. heterotepala was first collected in 1996 and
is now confirmed as distinct from L. hypogaea - see
news item above.]
Cazzonelli, C.I. 2011. Carotenoids in nature: insights
from plants and beyond. Functional Plant Biology
38(11): 833-847. [Reviewing the creation of
functional analogs and inhibitors of plant hormones
with examples of brassinosteroids, ABA biosynthesis
inhibitors and regulators of strigolactone function:
SL mimics, SL biosynthesis inhibitor and SL
biosynthesis regulation through gibberellin.]
C´ebovic´, T., Popovic´, M., Lepojevic´, Ž. and MimicaDukic´, N. 2008. Phytochemical analysis of nonpolar extract from Viscum album L. Proceedings of
the Fifth Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic
Plants of Southeast European Countries, (5th
CMAPSEEC), Brno, Czech Republic, 2-5
September, 2008, p. 152, 156. [Showing the presence
of new terpene molecules: sesquiterpene trans-αbergamotene, trans-β-farnesene, lactone loliolide and
vomifoliol.]
C´ebovic´, T., Popovic´, M. and Spasic´, S. 2008.
Evaluation of the cytotoxic and antioxidant effects
of.some terpene derivatives from Viscum album L.
extract. Proceedings of the Fifth Conference on
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Southeast
European Countries, (5th CMAPSEEC), Brno, Czech
Republic, 2-5 September, 2008, p 51. [Significant
HAUSTORIUM 60
effects shown against EAC breast carcinoma cells in
vivo.]
Chak, W.H., Tennakoon, K.U., and Musselman, L.J.
2010. The first report of angiosperm parasitic genus
Cuscuta (dodder) in Brunei Darussalam: A mystifying
existence. Folia Malaysiana 11(1): 13-24. [Recording
C. australis, flowering, on Mikania micrantha, and
many non-flowering Cuscuta populations, since
confirmed as C. australis – see item in text above.]
Chen, H., Shen, H., Ye, W., Cao, H. and Wang, Z. 2011.
Involvement of ABA in reduced photosynthesis and
stomatal conductance in Cuscuta campestris Mikania micrantha association. Biologia Plantarum
55(3): 545-548. [Results suggest that an increase in
ABA concentration caused by C. campetris
contributes to reduced stomatal conductance,
transpiration rate and net photosynthetic rate in the
host M. micrantha.]
Chen QingLiang Jia YaMin, Wang ZhiFen, Shan
ChengGang, Zhu JingBin and Guo YuHai. 2011.
Postembryonic development of Cistanche tubulosa
(Schrenk) Whigt. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 2011,
43, 4, 1823-1830. [The anatomy of seed development
in this species is similar to that reported for other
members of the family with a very reduced embryo.]
Chen SuHong, Lv GuiYuan, Fan Jing, Yan MeiQiu, Shan
LeTian, Fang Zhe, Li HengHui, Su Jie and Li Wei.
2011. Therapeutic effect of petroleum ether extract
from Semen cuscutae against β-estradiol 3-benzoate
induced kidney-yang deficiency in mice. African
Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 5(6): 700705. [Reporting significant alleviation of induced
kidney-yang symptoms in mice by an extract of
Cuscuta sp.]
Chen Tao, Du CaiGan and Linghua RongXing. 2010.
Medicinal herbs for the management of
desertification. Journal of Agriculture, Biotechnology
and Ecology 3(2): 124-132. [Cistanche deserticola
among the species referred to with potential for
increased exploitation as a means of conserving desert
habitats in China.]
Chen Zhe, Zhou HuaKun, Zhao XinQuan, Wen Jun, Ye
Xin and Yu Long. 2011. Resource allocation of
Pedicularis kansuensis of artificial grassland with
different planting dates in three rivers' source regions
in Qinghai, China. Acta Botanica BorealiOccidentalia Sinica 31(5): 995-1002.
Chhabra, S., Thakral, J., Kamboj, P. and Paliwal, Y.
2010. Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial
potential of different extracts of Cuscuta reflexa
growing on Acacia arabica and Zizyphus jujuba.
Pharmacognosy Journal 2(9): 293-296. [Alcohol
extracts of C. reflexa from both tree hosts were active
against both gram positive and gram negative
bacteria.]
23
Chirilă, F., Fiţ, N., Răpuntean, S., Nadăş, G. and Nistor,
A.C. 2011. A study regarding the Penibacillus larvae
strains sensitivity isolated from some counties in
Transylvania to different antibiotics and vegetal
essential oils. Cluj Veterinary Journal 19(1): 60-64.
[Including the effects of an extract of Rhinanthus sp.
on the bee pathogen Paenibacillus larvae.]
Chua HongBiao, Zeng GuangZhi, Zhu MeiJu, He
WenJun, Zhang YuMei and Tan NingHua. 2011.
Chemical constituents of Pedicularis densispica
Franch. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung. B, Chemical
Sciences 66(6): 641-646. [A range of new
compounds identified from P. densispica. Bioactivity
results indicate activity on PAI-1 antithrombus assay
in vitro and antifatigue activities in vivo.]
Cissoko, M., Boisnard, A., Rodenburg, J., Press, M.C.
and Scholes, J.D. 2011. New Rice for Africa
(NERICA) cultivars exhibit different levels of postattachment resistance against the parasitic weeds
Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica. New
Phytologist 192(4): 952-963. [Across a range of
cultivars of NERICA rices and their parents Oryza
sativa and O. glaberrima, there was a positive
relationship between the amount of strigolactones in
the exudate and the germination of S. hermonthica
and its attachment and emergence rates. Varieties
NERICA 1 and CG14 showed greatest resistance.]
Colbach, N., Abdennebi-Abdemessed, N. and GibotLeclerc, S. 2010. Modelling the effects of cropping
systems on the dynamics of a parasitic weed,
Phelipanche ramosa, in interaction with the nonparasitic weed flora. 21ème Conférence du
COLUMA. Journées Internationales sur la Lutte
contre les Mauvaises Herbes, Dijon, France, 8-9
Décembre 2010: 311-320. [Describing the
development of a model, PHERASYS, aimed at
understanding the influence of different control
measures, or lack of them, especially herbicide use,
on populations of P. ramosa in oilsed rape.]
Costea, M., Ruiz, I.G. and Stefanovic´, S. 2011.
Systematics of "horned" dodders: phylogenetic
relationships, taxonomy, and two new species within
the Cuscuta chapalana complex (Convolvulaceae).
Botany 89(10): 715-730. [Presenting a taxonomic
revision of the C. chapalana complex in Mexico and
northern S. America, based on morphology, scanning
electron microscopy, and DNA sequence data from
plastids and nucleus, with an identification key,
descriptions, and illustrations, including two new
species C. bonafortunae and C. carnosa.]
Costea, M., Spence, I. and Stefanovic´, S. 2011.
Systematics of Cuscuta chinensis species complex
(subgenus Grammica, Convolvulaceae): evidence for
long-distance dispersal and one new species.
Organisms Diversity & Evolution 11(5): 373-386.
[From a detailed study of the mainly N. American C.
HAUSTORIUM 60
chinensis species complex, it is concluded that C.
applanata should be treated as a variety of C.
chinensis while C. alata, previously considered
synonymous to C. applanata is a distinct species; C.
potosina var. globifera is now described as a new
species, C. azteca. C. chinensis var. chinensis is
exceptional in having an E. Asian distribution.]
Cuevas-Reyes, P., Fernandes, G.W., GonzálezRodríguez, A. and Pimenta, M. 2011. Effects of
generalist and specialist parasitic plants
(Loranthaceae) on the fluctuating asymmetry patterns
of ruprestrian host plants. Basic and Applied Ecology
12(5): 449-455. [Noting a marked increase in leaf
fluctuating asymmetry (a tendency for deviation from
perfect symmetry, considered to be an indicator of
stress) in Erythroxylum suberosum parasitised by
Phoradendron cf. amplexicaule and lesser increases
in three hosts of the generalist mistletoe Struthanthus
flexicaulis. Hypothesising that specialized parasites
could be more damaging to their hosts than generalist
mistletoes.]
Dakskobler, I. 2011. (Novelties in the flora of the western
Slovenija (Primorska). Ladnikia, Slovenia) (in
Slovenian) 27: 3-25. [Including new sites for
Orobanche hederae, O. pancicii, Odontites luteus,
Pedicularis hoermanniana and Rhinanthus
rumelicus.]
Dakskobler, I., Vreš, B. and Pusch, J. 2010. (Orobanche
pancicii Beck, a new species to the flora of Slovenia.)
(in Slovenian) Hacquetia 9(2): 171-176. [Describing
localities and sites of Orobanche pancicii, a new
species for Slovenia, recorded in the subalpine belt on
the hosts Knautia drymeia, K. longifolia and Scabiosa
lucida].
Dandopani Chatterjee, Sahu, R.K., Jha, A.K. and Jaya
Dwivedi. 2011. Evaluation of antitumor activity of
Cuscuta reflexa Roxb (Cuscutaceae) against Ehrlich
Ascites Carcinoma in Swiss albino mice. Tropical
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 10(4): 447-454.
[Extracts of C. reflexa exhibit significant antitumour
activity in EAC-bearing mice that is comparable to
that of the reference standard, 5-fluorouracil.]
Dani, K.G.S., Ravikumar, P., Kumar, R.P. and Kush, A.
2011. Genetic variation within and among small
isolated populations of Santalum album. Biologia
Plantarum 55(2): 323-326. [There are indications of
clonality within the Indian sandalwood populations
which can be attributed to habitat fragmentation,
isolation and vegetative reproduction.]
Das, M.K., Sharma, R.S., Vandana Mishra. 2011. A
cytotoxic type-2 ribosome inactivating protein (from
leafless mistletoe) lacking sugar binding activity.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
49(5): 1096-1103. [Studying Articulatin-D from
Viscum articulatum growing on Dalbergia sp. In
India.]
24
Delannoy, E., Fujii, S., Colas des Francs-Small, C.,
Brundrett, M. and Small, I. 2011. Rampant gene loss
in the underground orchid Rhizanthella gardneri
highlights evolutionary constraints on plastid
genomes. Mol. Biol. Evol. 28: 2077-2086. [This
amazing fully mycoheterotrophic orchid is one of the
few subterranean angiosperms (Hydnora triceps is
another). Its reduced plastome parallels situations
seen in haustorial parasites such as Epifagus.]
Deng JengShyan, Chi ChuanSung, Huang ShyhShyun,
Shie PeiHsin, Lin TsungHui and Huang GuanJhong.
2011. Antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory
activities of the ethanolic extracts of Taxillus
liquidambaricola. Journal of Ethnopharmacology
137(3): 1161-1171. [T. liquidambaricola extracts
demonstrated antioxidant, antinociceptive, and antiinflammatory activity, supporting previous claims for
their traditional use for inflammation and pain in
Taiwan.]
Dibong, S.D. Mpondo, M.E. and Ngoye, A. 2011.
Vulnerability of wild fruit species sold in the markets
of Douala (Cameroon). Journal of Animal and Plant
Sciences (JAPS) 11(3): 1435-1441. [Olax
subscorpioidea among species regarded as
‘vulnberable’ and needing conservation.]
Doležal, J., Mazůrek, P. and Klimešová, J. 2010. Oak
decline in southern Moravia: the association between
climate change and early and late wood formation in
oaks. Preslia 82(3): 289-306. [Noting that
unfavourable climatic conditions cause attenuated
trees to become prone to mistletoe (presumably
Viscum album) which predispose oaks to damage or
death.]
Domina, G. and Mazzola, P. 2011. Notes on the genus
Orobanche in Italy: 3. Taxa described by A.
Bertoloni. Plant Biosystems 145(2): 342-346.
[Eleven of the ‘new’ species described by Bertoloni
are re-ascribed to other species. Only O. australis,
included by Beck in O. canescens, is a good species,
restricted to Sardinia.]
Dong CunZhu, Wu QingZhao, Xu HanHong, Xie
ChaoLiang and Wang Rui. 2011. (Insecticidal
activity of the extracts from 40 species of plants in
Hainan Island against Musca domestica Linaeus.) (in
Chinese) Acta Agriculturae Universitatis Jiangxiensis
33(3): 476-481. [Including results from Cassytha
filiformis but lack of mention in abstract suggests low
activity.]
Dong SongLin, Zhang Yong, Chen NianLai, Li CaiXia
and Gao HaiNing. 2011. Study on characteristics of
seeds dormancy and germination of parasitic plant
Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. Medicinal Plant 2(1):
1-4. [Germination of C. songaricum stimulated by
roots of Nitraria tangutorum.]
Dongo, A., Leflon, M., Simier, P. and Delavault, P.
2012. Development of a high-throughput real-time
HAUSTORIUM 60
quantitative PCR method to detect and quantify
contaminating seeds of Phelipanche ramosa and
Orobanche cumana in crop seed lots. Weed Research
52(1): 34-41. [A novel approach to the specific
detection and quantitatification of parasitic seeds in
crop seed (or in soil) with very significant potential
uses.]
Dor, E., Joel, D.M., Kapulnik, Y., Koltai, H. and
Hershenhorn, J. 2011. The synthetic strigolactone
GR24 influences the growth pattern of
phytopathogenic fungi. Planta 234(2): 419-427. [The
synthetic strigolactone GR24 induced in vitro hyphal
branching in a number of plant pathogenic fungi such
as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Colletotrichum acutatum
and Fusarium oxysporum suggesting that
strigolactones not only affect arbuscular mycorrhizal
fungi and parasitic plants, but also have an effect on
other fungi.]
Dowie, N.J., Hemenway, J.J., Trowbridge, S.M. and
Miller, S.L. 2011. Mycobiont overlap between two
mycoheterotrophic genera of Monotropoideae
(Pterospora andromedea and Sarcodes sanguinea)
found in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Symbiosis 54(1): 29-36. [The discovery of a new
symbiont may provide evidence for an undiscovered
lineage of Pterospora andromedea in the area. In
addition, overlap in obligate mycobionts between
closely related mycoheterotrophs provides interesting
new information on the phylogenetic history and
coevolution of the mycoheterotrophs in the
Monotropoideae (Ericaceae).]
Draie, R., Péron, T., Pouvreau, J.B., Véronési, C., Jégou,
S., Delavault, P., Thoiron, S. and Simier, P. 2011.
Invertases involved in the development of the
parasitic plant Phelipanche ramosa: characterization
of the dominant soluble acid isoform, PrSAI1.
Molecular Plant Pathology 12(7): 638-652. [Of 5
invertase isoforms identified in P. ramosa, PrSAI1
had the greatest expression in germinated seeds and
throughout subsequent plant development. Its roles in
parasite metabolism during independent growth and
in maintaining osmotic potentials in mature plants are
explored.]
Du XiaoLi, Huang Mei, Ma YueFeng, Guo ChengLin,
Liang HaiBo, Tian Hong, Jiang XiuLi and Nong
Gang. 2011. (Occurrence and growth dynamics of
Semen cuscutae in gardens of Guangxi and evaluation
of herbicides for its control.) (in Chinese) Journal of
Southern Agriculture 42(7): 748-751. [Finding 6%
bispyribac-sodium+sdp AS suitable for controlling
Cuscuta reflexa, C. japonica and C. australis in
gardens.]
Dugje, I.Y., Ekeleme, F., Kamara, A.Y., Menkir, A.,
Chikoye, D. and Omoigui, L.O. 2010. Field
evaluation of sorghum varieties to Striga hermonthica
infestation in north eastern Nigerian savannas.
25
Nigerian Journal of Weed Science 23: 1-11.
[Confirming previous indications of tolerance to S.
hermonthica in sorghum variety KSV 8, and
resistance in PSL985061, P9401 and P9402.]
Dugje, I.Y., Kamara, A.Y. and Ekeleme, F. 2010.
Evaluation of farmers' crop production practices that
determine Striga gesnerioides infestation of cowpea
fields in Nigerian Savannas. Nigerian Journal of
Weed Science 23: 12-24. [Concluding that S.
gesnerioides infestations can be reduced by
combining resistant cowpea variety (IT97K 499-35),
adequate phosphorus fertilizer application, and
rotation of cowpea with cereals.]
Dugje, I.Y., Kamara, A.Y. and Kwari, J.D. 2008.
Analyses of soil physico chemical properties
determining Striga hermonthica infestations and
grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.) in Nigerian
Guinea and Sudan Savannas. Nigerian Journal of
Weed Science 21: 23-37. [Based on a survey of 98
fields, concluding that increased levels of soil
organic matter and exchangeable bases will reduce
Striga infestation and increase grain yield of maize.]
Dugje, I.Y., Kamara, A.Y. and Omoigui, L.O. 2011.
Assessment of farmers' crop management practices
influencing Striga hermonthica infestation and grain
yield of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). Nigerian
Journal of Weed Science 20: 25-35. [A survey of 54
sorghum fields in NE Nigeria recorded benefits from
sorghum-legume rotation, sorghum+legume
intercropping and 3 hoe-weedings.]
Dwarka, A., Friedman, C.M.R., MacKay, M.E. and
Nelson, D. 2011. Polymerase chain reaction
identification of a female-specific genetic marker in
Arceuthobium americanum (lodgepole pine dwarf
mistletoe) and its implications for Arceuthobium sex
determination. Botany 89(6): 369-377. [This study
has generated an efficient molecular tool to
differentiate male and female A. americanum while
also indicating that A. americanum may have
homomorphic, possibly protoheteromorphic, sex
chromosomes.]
Ekeleme, F., Kamara, A.Y., Omoigui, L.O., Chikoye, D.,
Dugje, I.Y. and Tegbaru, A. 2011. Effect of sowing
date on Striga infestation and yield of sorghum
(Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) cultivars in the
Sudan savanna of northeast Nigeria. African Journal
of Agricultural Research 6(14): 3240-3246.
[Evaluating the interaction of sowing date and
sorghum variety using 3 improved varieties. KSV8
apparently has tolerance and performed best in spite
of heavy S. hermonthica infestation when sown
early. ICSV111 and ICSV400 gave highest yields
when sown later.]
Elevitch, C.R. 2011. Specialty crops for Pacific Islands.
Agroforestry Net, Inc., Hawaii, USA, 576 pp.
[Including reference to Santalum spp.]
HAUSTORIUM 60
Ember, I., Acs, Z., Munyaneza, J.E., Crosslin, J.M. and
Kolber, M. 2011. Survey and molecular detection of
phytoplasmas associated with potato in Romania and
southern Russia. European Journal of Plant Pathology
130(3): 367-377. [The phytoplasma ‘Stolbur’
(‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’; 16SrXII-A)
causes spongy potato tubers. Also present in Cuscuta
sp.]
Emmanuel, T.V., Njoka, J.T., Catherine, L.W. and
Lyaruu, H.V.M. 2011. Nutritive and anti-nutritive
qualities of mostly preferred edible woody plants in
selected drylands of Iringa District, Tanzania. Journal
of Nutrition 10(8): 786-791. [Noting the use of Opilia
amentacea as a vegetable.]
Eriksson, O. and Kainulainen, K. 2011. The evolutionary
ecology of dust seeds. Perspectives in Plant Ecology,
Evolution and Systematics 13(2): 73-87. [Discussing
the evolution and significance of ‘dust seeds’ in
Orobanchaceae and at least 11 other families, most
being mycoheterotrophic, but this not being
confirmed in Rubiaceae, Buddlejaceae and
Gesneriaceae.]
Ermakov, N. and Makhatkov, I. 2011. Classification and
ordination of north boreal light-coniferous forests of
the West Siberian Plain. Plant Biosystems
145(Supplement): 199-207. [Including reference to
the association of Melampyrum pratense with Larix
sibiricae.]
Erukainure, O.L., Abovwe, J.A., Adefegha, A.S.,
Egwuche, R.U. and Fafunso, M.A. 2011. Antilipemic
and hypocholesteremic activities of Globimetula
braunii in rats. Experimental and Toxicologic
Pathology 63(7/8): 657-661. [Confirming antilipemic
and hypocholesteremic activities of G. braunii
(Loranthaceae) in Nigeria.]
Evidente, A., Cimmino, A., Fernández-Aparicio, M.,
Rubiales, D., Andolfi, A. and Melck, D. 2011.
Soyasapogenol B and trans-22-dehydrocam- pesterol
from common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) root exudates
stimulate broomrape seed germination. Pest
Management Science 67(8): 1015-1022.
[Soyasapogenol B stimulated the germination of
Orobanche minor seeds only, whereas trans-22dehydrocampesterol also stimulated O. aegyptiaca, O.
crenata and O. foetida.]
Ewald, N.C., John, E.A. and Hartley, S.E. 2011.
Responses of insect herbivores to sharing a host plant
with a hemiparasite: impacts on preference and
performance differ with feeding guild. Ecological
Entomology 36(5): 596-604. [Sap-sucking aphid and
spittle bug preferred to feed on Holcus lanatus
parasitized by Rhinanthus minor than on unparasitised plants, and the aphid benefited, but a
grasshopper showed no such preference.]
Fadini, R.F. 2011. Non-overlap of hosts used by three
congeneric and sympatric loranthaceous mistletoe
26
species in an Amazonian savanna: host
generalization to extreme specialization. Acta
Botanica Brasilica 25(2): 337-345. [The specificity
of Psittacanthus biternatus, P. eucalyptifolius and P.
plagiophyllus to different tree hosts is the result of
mistletoe-host compatibility rather than seed
deposition patterns by birds.]
Fankam, A.G., Kuete, V., Voukeng, I.K., Kuiate, J.R.
and Pages, J.M. 2011. Antibacterial activities of
selected Cameroonian spices and their synergistic
effects with antibiotics against multidrug-resistant
phenotypes. BMC Complementary and Alternative
Medicine 11: 104. [Olax subscorpioïdea among the
more active sources of antibacterial activity.]
*Fernandez-Aparicio, M., Rubiales, D., Bandaranayake,
P.C.G., Yoder, J.I. and Westwood, J.H. 2011.
Transformation and regeneration of the holoparasitic
plant Phelipanche aegyptiaca. Plant Methods 7:36.
(doi:10.1186/1746-4811-7-36) (A system was
developed that uses cultured parasite tubercles as the
starting material for Agrobacterium rhizogenesmediated transformation, which also enables
transformed tubercles to be clonally propagated prior
to regeneration. Infection of hosts by YFP-expressing
transgenic haustoria is demonstrated.)
Fite, G.L., Bruce, T., Foyer, C., Halford, N., Keys, A.,
Kunert, K., Lawlor, D., Parry, M. and Russell, G.,
2009. Cowpea landraces of Botswana: a potential
resistance source for Alectra vogelii. Aspects of
Applied Biology 96: 111-117. [Cowpea line B359 is
resistant to A. vogelii but has too few flowers.
Screening 86 alternative cowpea lines yielded 14
landraces with immunity and 12 cultivars with useful
resistance. There appeared to be a correlation
between resistance and thick stem-bases which may
be a useful selection criterion if confirmed.]
Fondevilla, S., Almeida, N.F., Satovic, Z.; Rubiales, D.,
Patto, M.C.V., Cubero, J.I. and Torres, A.M. 2011.
Identification of common genomic regions
controlling resistance to Mycosphaerella pinodes,
earliness and architectural traits in different pea
genetic backgrounds. Euphytica 182(1): 43-52.
[Including consideration of traits for resistance to
Orobanche crenata and identifying two new QTLs
for parasite resistance.)
Foo, E. and Davies, N.W. 2011. Strigolactones promote
nodulation in pea. Springer Berlin, Heidelberg,
Germany, Planta 234(5): 1073-1081. [The pea rms1
mutant is almost completely deficient in
strigolactones and displayed a 40% reduction in
nodules compared with wild-type plants. GR24
elevated the nodule number in wild-type plants and
in the mutant to a level similar to that of untreated
wild-type plants. Grafting studies showed that the
shoot does not make a major contribution to root
strigolactone levels.]
HAUSTORIUM 60
Frajman, B., Anderle, B. and Dakskobler, I. 2010.
(Orobanche reticulata Wallr. Updated distribution
map of Orobanche reticulata in Slovenia, with
several new localities in the Alpine (first time in the
Slovenian part of Karavanke), pre-Alpine and Dinaric
phytogeographic areas.) (in Slovenian) Hladnikia 26:
61-66.
Frajman, B., Krajšek, S.S. and Dakskobler, I. 2011.
(Orobanche kochii F. W. Schultz and Orobanche
elatior Sutton (Orobanchaceae) - new species for the
flora of Slovenia.) (in Slovenian) Hladnikia 27: 57-65.
[Both species parasitise Centaurea scabiosa subsp.
fritschii.]
Freire, S.M.de F., Andrade, K.N.de S., Aragão Júnior,
G.A., Noronha, E.P., Silva, S.do N., Cartágenes, M.do
S.de S., Borges, M.O.R., Ribeiro, M.N.de S., Torres,
L.M.B. and Borges, A.C.R. 2011. Antiulcerogenic
activity of the extracts of Struthanthus marginatus.
Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia 21(6): 10891095. [Aqueous extracts of S. marginatus were
superior to hydroalcoholic extracts in reducing ulcers
in rat stomachs, raising pH and increasing mucus
secretion.]
Furuhashi, T., Furuhashi, K. and Weckwerth, W. 2011.
The parasitic mechanism of the holostemparasitic
plant Cuscuta. Journal of Plant Interactions 6(4): 207219. [A general description of the parasitism of
Cuscuta and concluding that it is a useful model plant
for parasite plant research as well as plant-plant
interaction research.]
Gao MeiLi, Li YongFei and Yang JianXiong. 2011.
Protective effect of Pedicularis decora Franch root
extracts on oxidative stress and hepatic injury in
alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Journal of Medicinal
Plants Research 5(24): 5848-5856. [In mice, extracts
of P. decora counteracted alloxan-induced diabetic
symptoms and reduced oxidative stress and hepatic
injury.]`
Giannini, T.C., Takahasi, A., Medeiros, M.C.M.P.,
Saraiva, A.M. and Alves-dos-Santos, I. 2011.
Ecological niche modeling and principal component
analysis of Krameria Loefl. (Krameriaceae). Journal
of Arid Environments 75(9): 870-872. [Niche
modeling of ecological and geographical aspects of
the 18 Krameria spp. suggest that N. American
species occur mostly in desert or xeric ecoregions
with monthly rain below 140 mm and large
temperature ranges. S. American species are mainly
found in desert and subtropical savannas where
monthly rain often exceeds 150 mm and temperature
ranges are smaller.]
Gao MeiLi, Wang YiLi, Wang LiJuan, Li YongFei and
Yang JianXiong. 2011. Modification of oxidative
stress in acute exhaustive exercise mice with nbutanol and water fractions from Pedicularis decora
Franch root treatment. African Journal of Pharmacy
27
and Pharmacology5 (7): 853-861. [Showing that
extracts of P. decora may protect mice against
oxidative stress induced by acute exhaustive
exercise.]
Gao ZhanYou, Zhou HaiTao and Lin Qiang. 2011.
Effects of HERBA CISTANCHES on the ability of
resistance exercise-induced fatigue in rats and free
radical in brain tissue. Medicinal Plant 2(5): 30-32.
[Extracts of Cistanche spp. lessen the lipid
peroxidation in brain tissue of rats and oxidative
damage of mitochondria resuling from exerciseinduced fatigue.]
Gediya, S.K., Mistry, R.B., Patel, U.K., Blessy, M. and
Jain, H.N. 2011. Herbal plants: used as a cosmetics.
Journal of Natural Product and Plant Resources 1(1):
24-32. [Including reference to the use of sandalwood
(Santalum spp.) in skin care.]
Ghimire, B.K., Seong EunSoo, Kim EunHye, Ghimeray,
A.K., Yu ChangYeon, Ghimire, B.K. and Chung
IllMin. 2011. A comparative evaluation of the
antioxidant activity of some medicinal plants
popularly used in Nepal. Journal of Medicinal Plants
Research 5(10): 1884-1891. [Cuscuta refexa and
Santalum album among species tested but not among
the most active.]
*Ghotbi, M. and Ghotbi, M. 2011. Host category
defining to mitigate Orobanche aegyptiaca Pers.
infestation. Abstract presented at 3rd International
Symposium on Environment and Invasive Plants.
Ascona, Switzerland, October, 2011. European Weed
Scierce Society.
(http://www.ewrs.org/doc/EWRS_Invasive_Ascona_
Abstracts_2011.pdf) [A range of crop plants were
incorporated into soil in pots together with seed of
Orobanche aegyptiaca 2 months before planting
tomato. Cotton and sorghum caused greatest
reduction in O. aegyptiaca infestation.]
Girlanda, M., Segreto, R., Cafasso, D., Liebel, H.T.,
Rodda, M., Ercole, E., Cozzolino, S., Gebauer, G.
and Perotto, S. 2011. Photosynthetic Mediterranean
meadow orchids feature partial mycoheterotrophy
and specific mycorrhizal associations. American
Journal of Botany 98(7): 1148-1163. [Ophrys
fuciflora, Anacamptis laxiflora, Orchis purpurea, and
Serapias vomeracea show varying degrees of
mycoheterotrophy.]
Govindappa, M., Channabasava, R., Sowmya, D.V.,
Meenakshi, J., Shreevidya, M.R., Lavanya, A.,
Santoyo, G. and Sadananda, T.S. 2011.
Phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and in vitro
anti-inflammatory activity of endophytic extracts
from Loranthus sp. Pharmacognosy Journal 3(25):
82-90. [Identifying Aspergillus niger, Penicillium
sp. and Alternaria alternate as endophytes in L.
micranthus (= Ileostylus micranthus ) in India and
HAUSTORIUM 60
confirming anti-inflammatory activity in extracts from
these endophytes.]
Gunaga, R.P., Hanumantha, M., Girish Shahapurmath
and Vasudeva, R. 2011. Clonal variation for
Loranthus infestation in Teak (Tectona grandis L. F.).
Indian Journal of Forestry 34(2): 203-208. [Among 24
clones of teak surveyed for incidence of
Dendrophthoe falcata, MySS1 and MySS2 showed
least infection (ca. 4%) while others showed up to
48% infection.]
Hafsa Deshmukh and Prabhu, P.J. 2011. Development of
RP-HPLC method for qualitative analysis of active
ingredient (gallic acid) from stem bark of
Dendrophthoe falcata Linn. International Journal of
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research 3(2):
146-149.
Hanks, E.M., Hooten, M.B. and Baker, F.A. 2011.
Reconciling multiple data sources to improve
accuracy of large-scale prediction of forest disease
incidence. Ecological Applications 21(4): 1173-1188.
[An inventory of black spruce stands in northern
Minnesota found Arceuthobium pusillum in 11% of
surveyed stands, while a small, specific-pest survey
found mistletoe in 56% of the surveyed stands. The
two surveys were reconciled within a Bayesian
hierarchical framework, predicting that 35-59% of
black spruce stands in northern Minnesota are infested
with dwarf mistletoe.]
Hassan, M.M., Abdelhalim, T.S., Yagoub, S.O., Osman,
A.G. Gain, M.E.A. and Babiker, A.G.E. 2011. Effects
of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF), plant growth
promoting bacteria (PGPR) and interaction on Striga
hermonthica management in sorghum.
International Journal of Agriculture: Research and
Review 1(3): 107-115. [Innoculation of sorghum with
AM fungi in a pot experiment reduced emergence of
S. hermonthica by 82% and increased sorghum dry
matter by 28%. There was little further improvement
with addition of Flavobacteria and Azotobacter spp.]
Hassan, M.M., Gani, M.E.S.A. and Babiker, A.G.T.
2011. Effects of bacterial strains and isolates on in
situ germination, subsequent developmental stage of
Striga sermonthica onto sorghum roots. Advances in
Environmental Biology 5(1): 3263-3269. [A range of
bacterial isolates including Azospirillum brasilense
and Pseudomonas putida showed varying effects on
the germination and further development of S.
hermonthica, the most active being an undefined
isolate ‘GSL’ reducing attachment by 80%.]
Hassan, M.M., Osman, M.G., Ahmed, M.M.M.,
Abdalaleem, K.G., Gain, M.E.A. and Babiker, A.G.T.
2011. Tissue culture technique as new approach to
combat Striga hermonthica. Advances in
Environmental Biology 5(8): 2122-2128. [Among a
range of compounds tested, IAA, IBA and cytokinins
induced germination of S. hermonthica.]
28
He WenJun, Fang TaiHui and Tu PengFei. 2009.
(Research progress on pharmacological activities of
echinacoside.) (in Chinese) China Journal of Chinese
Materia Medica 34(4): 476-479. [Reviewing
evidence for effectiveness of the phenylethanoid
glycoside echinacoside, extracted from Cistanche
salsa, for its neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory,
anti-tumour, anti-aging, immunoregulation effects
and preventing liver injuries.]
He XiangHui, Yang WenZhi, Ye Min, Wang Qing and
Guo Dean. 2011. Differentiation of Cuscuta
chinensis and Cuscuta australis by HPLC-DAD-MS
analysis and HPLC-UV quantitation. Planta Medica
77(17): 1950-1957.
*Hegde, P., Maddur, M.S., Friboulet, A., Bayry, J. and
Kaveri, S.V. 2011. Viscum album exerts antiinflammatory effect by selectively inhibiting
cytokine-induced expression of cyclooxygenase-2.
PLoS ONE, October, 2011: e26312.
(http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1
371%2Fjournal.pone.0026312)
Hejcman, M., Stetinova, Z., Hejcmanová, P., Pavlů, V.
and Schellberg, J. 2011. Plant density and seed
production of Rhinanthus minor under long-term Ca,
N, P and K fertiliser application in the Rengen
Grassland Experiment (Germany). In: Pötsch, E.M.,
Krautzer, B. and Hopkins, A. (eds) Grassland
farming and land management systems in
mountainous regions. Proceedings of the 16th
Symposium of the European Grassland Federation,
Gumpenstein, Austria, 29th-31st August, 2011: 595597. [Comparing growth of R. minor in plots of
varying fertility. Lowest fertility gave highest
number of plants (745 v. 5 per m 2) and highest seed
production (18142 v. 195) conmpared with the most
fertile.]
Heiniger, U., Theile, F., Rigling, A. and Rigling, D.
2011. Blue-stain infections in roots, stems and
branches of declining Pinus sylvestris trees in a dry
inner alpine valley in Switzerland. Forest Pathology
41(6): 501-509. [Incidentally noting mistletoe
(presumably Viscum album) among other factors
contributing to mortality of P. sylvestris.]
Hellström, K., Bullock, J.M. and Pywell, R.F. 2011.
Testing the generality of hemiparasitic plant effects
on mesotrophic grasslands: a multi-site experiment.
Basic and Applied Ecology 12(3): 235-243. [Results
confirm that it is possible to establish Rhinanthus
minor into different mesotrophic grassland
communities representing a variety of soil types and
ages, suggesting it is a practical and widely
applicable tool for restoration.]
Her SunMi, An HyoSun, Kim KyuDae, Kim
YoungHoon, Yoon TaekJoon and Kim JongBae.
2011. (Immunoadjuvant activity of Korean mistletoe
Lectin B-chain.) (in Korean) Korean Journal of
HAUSTORIUM 60
Pharmacognosy 42(3): 246-252. [Discussing the
relative merits of the A- and B-chains in extracts from
Viscum album var. coloratum but abstract not clear.]
Hong Lan, Shen Hao, Chen Hua, Li Ling, Hu XiaoYing,
Xu XinLan, Ye WanHui and Wang ZhangMing.
2011. The morphology and anatomy of the haustoria
of the holoparasitic angiosperm Cuscuta campestris.
Pakistan Journal of Botany 43(4) 1853-1859.
[Development of the haustorium resembles that of
root parasites with initial divisions in the cortex with
the suggestion that vascular tissue differentiation is
linked with host contact by the searching ‘hyphae’.]
Hosagoudar, V.B. and Sabeena, A. 2011. Five new
Meliolaceae members from Kerala, India. Bioscience
Discovery Journal 2(1): 117-121, [Recording the
fungus Asteridiella anacolosae on an Anacolosa sp.
(Olacaceae).]
Hou Yuan, Cheng XiaoYue, Ren GuoHua, Deng Bin and
Shang ZhanHuan. 2011. Allelopathic effects of the
typical "black soil land" poisonous plant on
Pedicularis kansuensis in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica 31(8):
1651-1656. [Roots of Oxytropis ochrocephala and
leaves of Artemisia nanschanica prove usefully
allelopathic to P. nanschanica, a local cause of
pasture degradation.]
Houehanou, T.D., Kindomihou, V. and Sinsin, B. 2011.
Effectiveness of conservation areas in protecting shea
trees against hemiparasitic plants (Loranthaceae) in
Benin, West Africa. Plant Ecology and Evolution
144(3): 267-274. [Shea trees, Vitellaria paradoxa,
showed heavy infestation by unspecified mistletoe
(presumably Tapinanthus spp.), up to 80%, in
cultivated areas, and much lower infestation in
‘protected’ (hunting) areas.)
Hu GaoSheng, Jia JingMing, Hur YeonJae, Chung
YoungSoo, Lee JaiHeon, Yun DaeJin, Chung
WooSik, Yi GiHwan, Kim TaeHo and Kim
DohHoon. 2011. Molecular characterization of
phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene from Cistanche
deserticola. Molecular Biology Reports 38(6): 37413750.
Hu KeFei, Li YongHua, Du YuKai, Su BenWei and Lu
Dong. 2011. Analysis of 1-deoxynojirimycin
component correlation between medicinal parasitic
loranthus from loranthaceae and their mulberry host
trees. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 5(17):
4326-4331. [‘Loranthus’ not defined.]
Huang DongJia, Chen Hua, Wei Xiao, Shen Hao and Ye
WanHui. 2011. (Characteristics of haustorium of
holoparasite Cuscuta campestris.) (in Chinese)
Guangxi Zhiwu / Guihaia 31(4): 451-455. [A detailed
study and description of the penetration of C.
campestris into Mikania micrantha.]
Huang, S., Chen, J.H., Gong, M., Huang, M.Q., Li, J.,
Wu, A.G. and Lai, X.P. 2010. (Studies on the
29
flavonoids from the herb of Striga asiatica.) (in
Chinese) Zhong Yao Cai 33(7): 1089-1091. [Eleven
compounds were obtained, six of them identified as
flavonoids, including 4 not previously recorded in
S.asiatica.]
*Huber, R., Ludtke, H., Wieber, J. and Beckmann, C.
2011. Safety and effects of two mistletoe
preparations on production of interleukin-6 and other
immune parameters - a placebo controlled clinical
trial in healthy subjects. BMC Complementary and
Alternative Medicine 11(116): 30 pp.
(http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/14726882-11-116.pdf) [In Germany, ‘Iscucin® Populi’
(IP), a preparation from Viscum album growing on
poplar, is used in cancer therapy while ‘Viscum Mali
e planta tota’ (VM), from apple, is used in patients
with osteoarthritis. In a study involving 71 healthy
volounteers, treatment with IP results in eosinophilia
and an increase of CD4 cells but not in an increase of
IL-6 or CRP. No safety concerns regarding the two
mistletoe preparations have been raised by this
study.]
Illa, A.O., Odhiambo, G.D. and Dida, M.M. 2010.
Increasing imazapyr-resistant maize yield by
increasing plant density under natural Striga
hermonthica infestation. Agriculture and Biology
Journal of North America 1(5): 1061-1068.
[Increasing the plant density of herbicide-treated IR
maize from 44,444 to 88,888 plants per ha did not
affect Striga incidence but increased maize yield
from 1.60 to 3.48 t per ha.]
Illana, A., García-Garrido, J.M., Sampedro, I. and
Ocampo, J.A. and Vierheilig, H. 2011. Strigolactones
seem not to be involved in the nonsusceptibility of
arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) nonhost plants to AM
fungi. Botany 89(4): 285-288. [Strigolactones are
important factors in the establishment of mycorrhizal
symbiosis. In the strigolactone-deficient rms1 mutant
(ccd8) of pea, colonization of roots is reduced which
can be rescued by the application of GR24. However,
the authors show that the application of GR24 cannot
facilitate colonization of AM non-host plants.]
Imoloame, E.O. Joshua, S.D. 2011. Effect of cultural
methods on Striga (Striga hermonthica (Del.)) Benth
management and yield of cereals in the Savanna
Zone of Nigeria: a review. Archives of
Phytopathology and Plant Protection 44(17): 16551665. [Reporting good suppression of S. hermonthica
and improved yields with various combinations of
resistant maize and rice varieties with cowpea and
soybean rotations, intercropping with bambara nuts
and/or nitrogen applications. For sorghum, results
disappointing due to low yields of resistant varieties.]
Iqbal, M.N. and Suradker, S.S. 2011. Ethnobotanical and
ethnomedicinal study of some medicinal plants of
Barshitakli Tahsil District Akola (MS) India.
HAUSTORIUM 60
Bioscience Discovery Journ 2(2): 236-239.
[Documenting the local uses of 10 species, including
Cuscuta reflexa.]
Irum Mukhtar, Ibatsam Khokhar and Sobia Mushtaq.
2011. Cuscuta campestris Yunck., a new pest of
Capsicum frutescens L. (hot chilli) in LahorePakistan. Pakistan Journal of Weed Science Research
17(1): 103-110.
Isah, K.M. and Lagoke, S.T.O. 2010. Effect of Striga
hermonthica on host crop genotypes planted in
rotation with trap crop varieties in the Southern
Guinea Savanna of Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Weed
Science 23: 25-44. [Groundnut var. SAMNUT 11 and
cotton var. SAMCOT 10 were consistently the most
effective trap crop varieties in this study improving
yields of maize and rice, especially after 2 years.]
Isah, K.M., Lagoke, S.T.O., Elemo, K. and Ariyo, O.J.
2009. Differential reaction of host crop varieties to
Striga hermonthica of different crop and location
sources. Nigerian Journal of Weed Science 22: 1-14.
[Varying responses from 3 varieties each of maize,
sorghum and rice.]
*Ishida, J.K., Yoshida, S., Ito, M., Namba, S. and
Shirasu, K. 2011. Agrobacterium rhizogenesmediated transformation of the parasitic plant
Phtheirospermum japonicum. PLoS ONE, October,
2011: e25802.
(http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1
371%2Fjournal.pone.0025802) [Transgenic hairy
roots of P. japonicum were obtained from cotyledons
2 to 3 weeks after A. rhizogenes inoculation. A
Cyclin B1 promoter fused to a reporter gene was used
to visualize cell division during haustorium
formation.]
*Ito, S., Umehara, M., Hanada, A., Kitahata, N., Hayase,
H., Yamaguchi, S. and Asami, T. 2011. Effects of
triazole derivatives on strigolactone levels and growth
retardation in rice. PLoS ONE July: e21723.
(http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1
371%2Fjournal.pone.0021723) [In a structure-activity
relationship study using the SL biosynthesis inhibitor
TIS13, a more potent and specific inhibitor TIS108
was found. Treatment of rice seedlings with TIS108
reduced SL levels in roots and root exudates as well
as Striga germination and did not reduce plant height.
TIS108 may have potential to be applied in the
control of root parasitic weeds.]
Iverson, R.D., Westbrooks, R..G., Eplee, R.E. and
Tasker, A.V.. 2011. Overview and Status of the
Witchweed (Striga asiatica) Eradication Program in
the Carolinas. In: Leslie, A.R. and Westbrooks, R.G.
(eds) Invasive Plant Management Issues and
Challenges in the United States: 2011 Overview.
American Chemical Society, pp. 51-68. [Reviewing
the US Witchweed eradication programme and the
methods and procedures that have been used to reduce
30
the extent of the 175,000 ha problem by 99% since it
was first recognised in 1956.]
Iwo, G.A. Uwah, D.F. 2007. Efficacy of beniseed
(Sesamum indicum) as a trap crop to Striga species
(parasitic weed). Nigerian Journal of Weed Science
20: 47-51. [Identifying 5 out of 25 sesamum varieties
with greater trap-crop potential against S.
hermonthica.]
Jackson, D.D., Shiju, L., Jebasingh, D. and Huxley,
V.A.J. 2009. Memory enhancement potential of
Santalum album extracts on albino mice. Journal of
Theoretical and Experimental Biology 5(3/4): article
151. [Defining the anti-oxidant effect of different
extracts of S. album, presumably with some potential
in treatment of memory loss. ]
Jadhav, N., Patil, C.R., Chaudhari, K.B., Wagh, J.P.,
Surana, S.J. and Jadhav, R.B. 2010. Diuretic and
natriuretic activity of two mistletoe species in rats.
Pharmacognosy Research 2(1): 50-57. [Concluding
that polyphenolics and triterpenoids, such as
oleanolic acid and lupeol, are the major
phytochemicals involved in the diuretic activity of
extracts from Viscum articulatum and Helicanthus
elastica in rats.]
Jamil, M., Charnikhova, T., Cardoso, C., Jamil, T.,
Ueno, K., Verstappen, F., Asami, T. and
Bouwmeester, H.J. 2011. Quantification of the
relationship between strigolactones and Striga
hermonthica infection in rice under varying level.
Weed Research (Oxford) 51(4): 373-385. [Exudation
of strigolactones by rice was highest under nitrogenand particularly phosphorus-deficient conditions and
cv. IAC 165 produced about 100-fold higher amounts
than cv. TN 1. There was a positive relationship
between the amount of strigolactones in the exudates
and S. hermonthica germination and attachment,
suggesting that reduction in strigolactone production
is at least one of the mechanisms by which fertiliser
application reduces damage in cereals by parasitic
weeds.]
Jamil, M., Rodenburg, J., Charnikhova, T. and
Bouwmeester, H.J. 2011. Pre-attachment Striga
hermonthica resistance of NERICA cultivars based
on low strigolactone production. New Phytologist
192: 964–975. [Across a range of NERICA rice lines
and their parents Oryza sativa and O. glaberrima,
there was considerable variation in the exudation of
strigolactones. There was a positive relationship
between the amount of strigolactones in the exudate
and the germinationof S. hermonthica and its
attachment and emergence rates. Varieties NERICA
1 and CG14 exhibited lowest induction of
germination.]
Joel, D.M., Barl, H., Mayer, A.M., Plakhine, D., Ziadnel,
H., Westwood, J.H. and Welbaum, G.E. 2011. Seed
ultrastructure and water absorption pathway of the
HAUSTORIUM 60
root-parasitic plant Phelipanche aegyptiaca
(Orobanchaceae). Annals of Botany 109(1): 181-195.
[A detailed analysis of the ultrastructure of the seed of
P. aegyptiaca and the processes of imbibition and
metabolism in the seed leading to germination.]
Johnson, S.D., Burgoyne, P.M., Harder, L.D.and Dötterl,
S. 2011. Mammal pollinators lured by the scent of a
parasitic plant. Proceedings of the Royal Society of
London. Series B, Biological Sciences 278(1716):
2303-2310. [Aliphatic ketones 3-hexanone and 1hexen-3-one dominate the scent of Cytinus visseri
(Cytinaceae) which attracts rodents for pollination.
Plants attracting insects tend to produce terpenoids,
aromatic or non-ketone aliphatic compounds.]
Kaitera, J., Hantula, J. and Nevalainen, S. 2011.
Distribution and frequency of Cronartium flaccidum
on Melampyrum spp. in permanent sample plots in
Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
26(5): 413-420. [Occurrence of pine stem rust C.
flaccidum recorded on Melampyrum sylvaticum, M.
pratense and M. nemorosum. A possible tenuous
relationship with rust incidence in host trees is
discussed.]
Kaitera, J. and Hiltunen, R. 2011. Susceptibility of
Pedicularis spp. to Cronartium ribicola and C.
flaccidum in Finland. Forest Pathology 41(3): 237242. [Concluding that P. palustris may play a role in
the spread of Cronartium rust species in natural
forests.]
Kala, C.P. 2011. Medicinal plants used for
dermatological disorders: a study of Uttarakhand state
in India. Australia, Australian Journal of Medical
Herbalism 23(3): 132-137. [Cuscuta reflexa among
‘important’ species used in the treatment of a number
of eskin conditions.]
Kaluz, S., Literak, I., Capek, M., Konecny, A. and
Koubek, P. 2011. A new mite species of the genus
Lasioseius (Acarina: Gamasina, Blattisociidae)
associated with the flowers of Englerina lecardii and
Chalcomitra senegalensis (Aves: Nectariniidae) in
Senegal. International Journal of Acarology 37(6):
511-524. [The new species L. senegalensis was found
in Senegal on flowers of Englerina lecardii and on
beaks of the pollinating sunbird.]
Kamara, A.Y., Ekeleme, F., Omoigui, L., Menkir, A.,
Chikoye, D. and Dugje, I.Y. 2011. Response of exotic
sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) cultivars to
planting date under natural infestation of Striga
hermonthica (Del) Benth. in the Sudan savanna zone
of northeast Nigeria. Archives of Agronomy and Soil
Science 57(6): 679-692. [Noting that the success of
the improved varieties P9402, P9405, and
PSL985061, and local KSV8 under infestation by S.
hermonthica depended on planting date, earlier
planting usually being best.]
31
Kameda, G., Kempf, W., Oschlies, I., Michael, K.,
Seifert, G. and Längler, A. 2011. Nodal anaplastic
large-cell lymphoma ALK-1- with CD30+ cutaneous
lymphoproliferation treated with mistletoe:
spontaneous remission or treatment response?
Klinische Pädiatrie 223(6): 364-367. [Within 1 week
after initiation of treatment with a Viscum album
preparation, skin lesions and lymph node
enlargement improved and under continuing V.
album therapy the patient was still in complete
remission 30 months after diagnosis.]
Khan, Z.R. and 16 others. 2009. Control of stem borers
and striga in African cereals: a low input push-pull
approach with rapidly expanding impact. Aspects of
Applied Biology 96: 71-76. [A review covering the
use of Desmodium spp. to control Striga hermonthica
concluding that ‘The push-pull technology raises the
farming level above subsistence by improving cereal
yields and by providing animal forage, and the
evidence also suggests that it does so whilst
stabilising a high density rural population.’]
Khan, Z., Midega, C., Pittchar, J., Pickett, J., Bruce, T.
and Pretty, J. 2011. Push-pull technology: a
conservation agriculture approach for integrated
management of insect pests, weeds and soil health in
Africa. UK government's foresight food and farming
futures project. International Journal of Agricultural
Sustainability 9(1): 162-170. [A general description
of the technique, including the use of Desmodium
spp. to control Striga hermonthica, and noting its
adoption by over 30,000 farmers in East Africa to
date.]
*Kienle, G.S., Grugel, R. and Kiene, H. 2011. Safety of
higher dosages of Viscum album L. in animals and
humans - systematic review of immune changes and
safety parameters. BMC Complementary and
Alternative Medicine 11: 72.
(http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/14726882-11-72.pdf ) [Reviewing 69 clinical studies and
48 animal experiments involving V. album extracts or
isolated mistletoe lectins and concluding that there
were no serious side-effects at relatively high
dosages.]
Kim KiSoo, Kim GwiMan, Ji Hoon, Park SungUk and
Yang ChulJu. 2011. Effect of dietary
supplementation of Alisma canaliculatum (alismatis
rhizoma) and Viscum album (mistletoe) on growth
performance and immunity in broiler chickens.
Korean Journal of Poultry Science 38(1): 21-28.
[Providing some evidence for the potential of a
Viscum album supplement to replace antibiotic in
poultry feed.]
Kirsch, A. and Hajto, T. 2011. Case reports of sarcoma
patients with optimized lectin-oriented mistletoe
extract therapy. Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine 17(10: 973-979.
HAUSTORIUM 60
[Reporting that 6 patients with sarcoma, treated with a
Viscum album lectin preparation, showed remissions
of tumour symptoms, apparently due to an improved
balance of natural immunological mechanisms. ]
Koca, U., Küpeli-Akkol, E. and Sekeroglu, N. 2011.
Evaluation of in vivo and in vitro biological activities
of different extracts of Cuscuta arvensis. Natural
Product Communications 6(10): 1433-1436.
[Methanolic and water extracts from C. arvensis (= C.
campestris) showed greater anti-nociceptive and antiinflammatory activity than non-polar extracts.]
Kohlen, W. 2011. Regulation of biosysnthesis and
transport of strigolactones and their effect on plant
development. PhD Thesis. Wageningen University,
Wageningen, Netherlands, 192 pp. [Reviewing the
creation of functional analogs and inhibitors of plant
hormones with examples of brassinosteroids, ABA
biosynthesis inhibitors and regulators of strigolactone
function: SL mimics, SL biosynthesis inhibitor and
SL biosynthesis regulation through gibberellin. See
full summary above.]
Kohlschmid, E., Müller-Stöver, D. and Sauerborn, J.
2011. (Spreading of the parasitic weed Phelipanche
ramosa in German agriculture.) (in German) Gesunde
Pflanzen 63(2): 69-74. [P. ramosa, previously
extensive on hemp, now attacks tobacco and parsley
and threatens to spread to oilseed rape, tomato and
potato.]
Kolo, M.G.M. and Adamu, S.U. 2006. Rotation of food
legume trap crops with maize for Striga hermonthica
(DEL) Benth management, at Gwagwalada, Nigeria.
Nigerian Journal of Weed Science 19: 49-55. [Finding
cowpea and groundnut superior to soyabean as trap
crops.]
Koltai, H. 2011. Strigolactones' ability to regulate root
development may be executed by induction of the
ethylene pathway. Plant Signaling and Behavior 6(7):
1004-1005. [Analysis of hormone-signalling mutants
combined with hormonal treatments suggests that
strigolactones and ethylene regulate root hair
elongation via a common regulatory pathway, in
which ethylene is epistatic to strigolactones. The
regulation of root hair elongation by SL and auxin
converge via the ethylene pathway and this includes
regulation of auxin transport.]
Krause, K. 2011. Piecing together the puzzle of parasitic
plant plastome evolution. Planta 234(4) 647-656.
[This review proposes that gene loss in plastids may
follow a ‘domino effect’ in which loss of one gene
triggers loss of other dependent genes.]
Kuijt, J. 2011. Pulling the skeleton out of the closet:
resurrection of Phthirusa sensu Martius and
consequent revival of Passovia (Loranthaceae). Plant
Diversity and Evolution 129: 159-211. [The author
reconstitutes Phthirusa, resurrects Passovia, and
reduces Ixocactus to a synonym.]
32
Kumar Vikas, Pankajkumar, S.Y., Udayaa, P.S., Raj,
B.H., Rana Amar and Kamaruz, Z.M. 2010.
Pharmacognostical evaluation of Cuscuta reflexa
Roxb. Pharmacognosy Journal 2(6): 74-82.
Kumbasli̇, M., Keten, A., Beskardes, V., Maki̇neci̇, E.,
Özdemi̇r, E., Yi̇lmaz, E., Zengi̇n, H., Sevgi̇, O.,
Yi̇lmaz, H.C. and Cali̇skan, S. 2011. Hosts and
distribution of yellow mistletoe (Loranthus
europaeus Jacq. (Loranthaceae)) on Northern
Strandjas Oak Forests-Turkey. Scientific Research
and Essays 6(14): 2970-2975. [Survey showed 2.3%
of trees infested overall; highest occurrence was in
Quercus petraea; none detected in Quercus cerris.]
Kureh, I., Hussaini, A.M., Odunze, A.C., Chikoye, D.,
Emechebe, A.M., Tarawali, G., Franke, A.C. and
Ellis-Jones, J. 2006. Agronomic performance of
integrated Striga hermonthica management
strategies. Nigerian Journal of Weed Science 19: 4148. [Benefits from tolerant maize, trap crops and N
application.]
Lagoke, S.T.O. and Isah, K.M. 2010. Reaction of maize
varieties to Striga hermonthica as influenced by food
legume intercrop, spacing and split application of
compound fertilizer. Nigerian Journal of Weed
Science 23: 45-58. [Best results obtained with
planting two stands of groundnut or three stands of
soyabean between two stands of Striga-resistant
maize genotypes spaced at 50 cm, given splitapplication of fertilizer at total rate of 100 kgN/ha, 50
kgP2O5/ha and 50 kgK2O/ha.]
Lekhak, M.M., Chavan, J.J., Janarthanam, M.K., Pai,
I.K. and Yadav, S.R. 2011. Corolla elongation as an
aid in self-pollination in Rhamphicarpa longiflora
(Scrophulariaceae). Current Science 100(11): 16241626.
Lemaire, B., Huysmans, S., Smets, E. and Merckx, V.
2011. Rate accelerations in nuclear 18S rDNA of
mycoheterotrophic and parasitic angiosperms.
Journal of Plant Research 124(5) 561-576. [A survey
of the mutation rates in 33 parasitic and 37
mycoheterotrophic species reveals accelerated rates
compared to autotrophic relatives. Translational
function appears to be retained and reasons for rate
differences are explored.]
Lewis, K.J. 2011. Forest health and mortality of advance
regeneration following canopy tree mortality caused
by the mountain pine beetle. Mountain Pine Beetle
Working Paper - Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian
Forest Service 2010-03. [Incidentally emphasising
the continuing threat to Canadian forests from
Arceuthobium spp.]
Li ChunYu, Zhao GuoBin, Zhang YuHong, Wang Shu,
Xue GuiPing and Zhang DanShen. 2011.
(Optimization of salt stir-baking technology for
Cuscutae Semen by uniform design.) (in Chinese)
Zhongcaoyao = Chinese Traditional and Herbal
HAUSTORIUM 60
Drugs 42(8): 1537-1540. [Optimum preparation
involved salt 2%, immersing time 60 min, baking
temperature 170°C, and baking time 60 min.]
Li Yang, Zhao YanLi, Yang YongPing and Li XiaoLi.
2011. Chemical constituents of Viscum album var.
meridianum. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology
39(4/6): 849-852. [Flavanones, flavanone glycosides
and triterpenenes among the major components of V.
album var. meridianum.]
Liao Kuo, Gituru, R.W., Guo YouHao; andWang
QingFeng. 2011. The presence of co-flowering
species facilitates reproductive success of Pedicularis
monbeigiana (Orobanchaceae) through variation in
bumble-bee foraging behaviour. Annals of Botany
108(5): 877-884 [Pollination of P. monbeigiana
enhanced in a mixed population with Vicia
dichroantha.]
Lin HuiBin, Yang JinPing and Lin JianQiang. 2011.
Influence of hosts on polysaccharide content in C.
chinensis and C. australis. China Journal of Trad
itional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy 26(9): 20052008. [Confirming that polysaccharide content of
Cuscuta spp. can indeed be influenced by their hosts.]
Lin MingKuem, Yu YenLing, Chen KaiChieh, Chang
WenTe, Lee MengShiou, Yang MengJa, Cheng
HsinChung, Liu ChienHeng, Chen DzChi and Chu
ChingLiang. 2011. Kaempferol from Semen cuscutae
attenuates the immune function of dendritic cells.
Immunobiology 216(10): 1103-1109. [Confirming
that extracts of Cuscuta spp. exhibit an
immunosuppressive effect on dendritic cells and that
the active ingredient kaempferol has potential in the
treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune
disease.]
Liu YeWei,Li HongBing,Wang XiaoFei,Zhang
GeXiang,Wang Yu and DuoLong. 2011. Evaluation
of the free radical scavenging activity of Cynomorium
songaricum Rupr. by a novel DPPH-HPLC method.
Journal of Food Science 76(9): C1245-C1249.
[Results showed that the free radical scavenging
activity of the samples of C. songaricum from
different sites varied significantly.]
Liu MengJiao, Hong Lan, Shen Hao, Wei Xiao, Ye
WanHui and Cao HongLin. 2011. Responses of
Mikania micrantha to parasitization of Cuscuta
campestris in total soluble protein content and
activities of antioxidant enzymes. Guangxi Zhiwu /
Guihaia 31(4): 520-525. [C. campestris significantly
lowered soluble protein content in M. micrantha.
Activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidise
significantly increased at a density of 1 parasite per
host plant; but both activities decreased up to 8 per
host.]
Liu W, Kohlen W, Lillo A, Op den Camp R, Ivanov S,
Hartog M, Limpens E, Jamil M, Smaczniak C,
Kaufmann K, Yang WC, Hooiveld GJ, Charnikhova
33
T, Bouwmeester HJ, Bisseling T, Geurts R. 2011.
Strigolactone biosynthesis in Medicago truncatula
and rice requires the symbiotic GRAS-type
transcription factors NSP1 and NSP2.Plant
Cell23(10): 3853-3865. [NODULATION
SIGNALING PATHWAY1 (NSP1) and NSP2 are
essential for rhizobium Nod factor-induced
nodulation and are shown here to be indispensable
for strigolactone (SL) biosynthesis in the
legumeMedicago truncatula and in rice. The
disturbed SL biosynthesis in nsp1 nsp2 mutant
backgrounds correlates with reduced expression of
DWARF27, a gene essential for SL biosynthesis.]
Liu Yang, Sheng Yu, Yuan GuangXin, Wang Yan, Wei
HuiFang, Guan Ming and Pei Jin. 2011. Purification
and physicochemical properties of different
polysaccharide fractions from the water extract of
Boschniakia rossica and their effect on macrophages
activation. International Journal of Biological
Macromolecules 49(5): 1007-1011.
Lopez O., M. and Cervantes P., L. 2010. Life histories of
Ramosiana insignis (Blanchard) and Vulsirea
violacea (f.) (Hemiptera-Heteroptera: Pentatomidae),
with descriptions of immature stages. Proceedings of
the Entomological Society of Washington 112(1):
81-96. [Both species occur on Schoepfia schreberi
(Olacaceae).]
López-Ráez, J.A., Pozo, M.J. and García-Garrido, J.M.
2011. Strigolactones: a cry for help in the
rhizosphere. Botany 89(8): 513-522. [Reviewing the
role of strigolactones - and other plant hormones – in
AM symbiosis and host-parasitic plant interaction
and potential use of this molecular dialogue as a
target for new control strategies against root parasitic
weeds.]
Luan Na, Chang Ping, Zhuang LiYing and Shang
XiaoYa 2010. Isolation and determination of
catechin from Cynomorium songaricum Rupr.
Medicinal Plant 1(8): 87-88.
Luisi, A., Lorenzi, R. and Sorce, C. 2011. Strigolactone
may interact with gibberellin to control apical
dominance in pea (Pisum sativum). Plant Growth
Regulation 65(2): 415-419. [Experiments in which
GR24 was applied to decapitated climbing and dwarf
(gibberellin biosynthesis mutant) peas suggest that
the endogenous level of gibberellin GA1 modulates
the response of decapitated pea plants to GR24, by
changing bud sensitivity to the applied strigolactone.]
Luo Xiang, Zhai ZhiXi, Guo YuHai, Du You and Zhu
YanXia. 2011. (Optimization of infection by
Cistanche tubulosa on Tamarix chinensis assimilate
distribution.) (in Chinese) Journal of China
Agricultural University 16(4): 43-47. [Parasitism of
T. chinensis by C. tubulosa resulted in increases in
chlorophyll content and photosynthesis in the host.
HAUSTORIUM 60
37% of photosynthate was transferred to the parasite.]
Luo Xiang, Zhu YanXia, Zhao DongPing and Guo
YuHai. .2010. Parasitism response of Cistanche
tubulosa in root of Tamarix chinensis. Plant
Physiology Communications 46(12): 1211-1214.
Lyu SuYun and Park WonBong. 2011. Gene network
analysis on the effect of Viscum album var. coloratum
in T cells stimulated with anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies.
Archives of Pharmacal Research 34(10): 1735-1749.
[An analysis of gene expression induced by V. album
var. coloratum agglutinin (VCA) following
incubation in human T cells revealed activation and
inhibition of genes involved in a wide range of
immune functions in line with the broad mechanisms
of anti-cancer action of VCA.]
Maalouf, F., Khalil, S., Ahmed, S., Akintunde, A.N.,
Kharrat, M., El-Shama'a, K., Hajjar, S. and Malhotra,
R.S. 2011. Yield stability of faba bean lines under
diverse broomrape prone production environments.
Field Crops Research 124(3): 288-294. [Faba bean
lines derived from hybrid bulk populations
HBP/DS0/2000 and HBP/ES0/2000 were superior to
susceptible lines under infestation by Orobanche
crenata but yielded comparatively less well in
uninfested soil.]
Mabrouk, Y., Mejri, S., Hemissi, I., Simier, P., Delavault,
P., Saidi, M. and Belhadj, O. 2010. Bioprotection
mechanisms of pea plant by Rhizobium
leguminosarum against Orobanche crenata. African
Journal of Microbiology Research 4(23): 2570-2575.
[Results suggest that the mechanisms of induced
resistance by Rhizobia against O. crenata involve an
elevated induction of the phenylpropanoid pathway,
conferring mechanical and chemical barriers against
the invading parasite.]
Maikai, V.A. 2010. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of antitrypanosomal activity of stem bark of Ximenia
americana. International Journal of Biology 2(2): 5054. [Results showed that Ximenia americana
(Olacaceae) had in vitro and in vivo efficacy against
Trypanosoma congolense.]
Maikai, V.A. 2011. Antitrypanosomal activity of
flavonoid extracted from Ximenia americana stem
bark. International Journal of Biology 3(1): 115-121.
[Confirming that the antitrypanosomal activity of X.
americana extract is associated with the flavonoid
fraction.]
Maikai, V.A., Maikai, B.V. and Kobo, P.I. 2009.
Antimicrobial properties of stem bark extracts of
Ximenia americana. Journal of Agricultural Science
(Toronto) 1(2): 30-34. [Extracts of X. americana
showed activity against Escherichia coli, P.
aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, P. vulgaris and
B. subtilis, supporting their traditional use against
microbial infections in Nigeria.]
34
Malabrigo, P.L., Jr. 2010. Rafflesia banaoana
(Rafflesiaceae): another new species from Luzon,
Philippines. Asia Life Sciences - The Asian
International Journal of Life Sciences Suppl.4: 139146. [R. banaoana is described as a new species from
Kalinga Province, Northern Luzon. It was compared
to R. mira, R. speciosa and R. baletei, but was not
compared to R. leonardi. Subsequently, Barcelona et
al. (Phytotaxa 24:11-18, 2011) – see Huastorium 59 showed that this taxon and R. leonardi are
conspecific, thus R. banaoana is a later synonym.]
Marion, D., Simier, P., Delavault, P., de Zélicourt, A.,
Letousey, P., Thoiron, S., Campion, C., Simoneau, P.
and Elmorjani, K. 2007. Ha-DEF1, a sunflower
defensin, induces cell death in Orobanche parasitic
plants. Planta 226(3): 591-600.
Martín-Santamaría, S. and 14 others. 2011. Symmetric
dithiodigalactoside: strategic combination of binding
studies and detection of selectivity between a plant
toxin and human lectins. Organic & Biomolecular
Chemistry 9(15): 5445-5455. [Including lectin from
Viscum album.]
Martínez-Bonfil, B.P., Salcedo-Morales, G., LópezLaredo, A.R., Ventura-Zapata, E., EvangelistaLozano, S. and Trejo-Tapia, G. 2011. Shoot
regeneration and determination of iridoid levels in
the medicinal plant Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. Plant
Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 107(2): 195-203.
[Describing a means of propagating C. tenuifolia, of
value as a medicinal plant in Mexico.]
Mat Salleh, K., Mahyuni, R., Susatya, A. and Veldkamp,
J.F. 2011. Rafflesia lawangensis (Rafflesiaceae), a
new species from Bukit Lawang, Gunung Leuser
National Park, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Reinwardtia 13: 159-165. [This taxon, R.
lawangensis, was previously thought to be R.
arnoldi, but it differs from it in a number of
characters. It resembles R. kerrii in possessing a
very wide diaphragm opening, but differs from that
species in lacking windows in the diaphragm.]
Mehjabeen, Mansoor Ahmad, Noor Jahan, Zia-ul-Haq,
M., Alam, S.M., Asma Wazir and Saeedul-Hassan
2011. Antimicrobial screening of some plants of
medicinal importance. Pakistan Journal of Botany
43(3): 1773-1775. [Showing some antifungal activity
in extracts of Cuscuta reflexa.]
Memon, A.H., Rind, F.M.A., Laghari, M.G.H., Mughal,
U.R., Memon, N., Almani, F. and Khuhawar, M.Y.
2010. Study of folk recipes and ethnomedicinal uses
of thirty medicinal plants of district Umerkot, Sindh,
Pakistan. Hamdard Medicus 53(1): 127-135.
[Mention of Cuscuta reflexa included.]
Mendes, F.R. 2011. Tonic, fortifier and aphrodisiac:
adaptogens in the Brazilian folk medicine. Revista
Brasileira de Farmacognosia 21(4) 754-763.
HAUSTORIUM 60
[Ptychopetalum olacoides (Olacaceae) among species
regarded as ‘adaptogens’.]
Menkir, A . 2011. Effect of genetic divergence of Striga
hermonthica (Delile) Benth.-resistant maize inbred
lines on heterosis and hybrid performance under
parasite pressure. Crop Science 51(4): 1591-1602.
[Conluding that selection for inbreds with greater
levels of resistance to S. hermonthica appears to be
more effective for developing resistant hybrids than
selection of parental pairs based on genetic distance
alone.]
Mignouna, D.B., Manyong, V.M., Mutabazi, K.D.S. and
Senkondo, E.M. 2011. Determinants of adopting
imazapyr-resistant maize for Striga control in Western
Kenya: a double-hurdle approach. Journal of
Development and Agricultural Economics 3(11): 572580. [Based on the same survey as the following item,
concluding that age of the household head, household
size, membership to social group, access to extension
services and perception towards IR maize for Striga
control were found to influence the decision to adopt
the technique.]
Mignouna, D.B., Mutabazi, K.D.S., Senkondo, E.M. and
Manyong, V.M. 2011. Imazapyr-resistant maize
technology adoption for witch weed control in
western Kenya. African Crop Science Journal 19(3):
173-182. [Discussing the extension techniques for
promotion of herbicide-treated maize for control of
Striga hermonthica.]
*Mitra, P., Chang KyuSeob and Yoo DaeSeok. 2011.
Kaempferol extraction from Cuscuta reflexa using
supercritical carbon dioxide and separation of
kaempferol from the extracts. International Journal of
Food Engineering 7(4): Article 9.
(http://www.bepress.com/ijfe/vol7/iss4/art9/)
Mondani, F., Golzardi, F., Ahmadvand, G., Ghorbani, R.
and Moradi, R. 2011. Influence of weed competition
on potato growth, production and radiation use
efficiency. Notulae Scientia Biologicae 3(3): 42-52.
[Orobanche aegyptiaca included among major weeds
of potato (in Iran) but no specific mention in text.]
Mony, R., Dibong, S.D., Ondoua, J.M. and Bilong,
C.F.B. 2011. Study of host-parasite relationship
among Loranthaceae flowering shrubsmyrmecophytic fruit trees-ants in Logbessou District,
Cameroon. Annual Review & Research in Biology
1(3): 68-78. [Noting that some ant species nested in
the dead suckers of unspecified Loranthaceae.]
Mora, F.D., Ríos, N., Rojas, L.B., Díaz, T. Velasco, J.,
Carmona A.J. and Silva, B. 2011. Chemical
composition and in vitro antibacterial activity of the
essential oil of Phthirusa adunca from Venezuelan
andes. Natural Product Communications 6(7): 10511053. [Oil from P. adunca showed activity against
Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus,
35
Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and
Klebsiella pneumoniae.]
Mothana, R.A.A., Al-Said, M.S., Al-Rehaily, A.J.,
Thabet, T.M., Awad, N.A., Lalk, M. and Lindequist,
U. 2012. Anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive,
antipyretic and antioxidant activities and phenolic
constituents from Loranthus regularis Steud. ex
Sprague. Food Chemistry 130(2): 344-349. [Three
quercetin-related flavonoid glycosides with antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant properties were
identified from L. regularis (= Phragmanthera
regularis), supporting its traditional medicinal use in
the Arabian Peninsula.]
Moupela, C., Vermeulen, C., Daïnou, K. and Doucet,
J.L. 2011. (African walnut (Coula edulis Baill.). An
unknown non-timber forest product.) (in French)
Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Société et
Environnement 15(3): 485-495. [In addition to its
edible fruits, C. edulis ((Coulaceae) has potential for
its termite resistant timber.]
Muhammad Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Qayyum Khan,
Nazar Hussain and Tariq Habib. 2011. Antibacterial
and antifungal potential of leaves and twigs of
Viscum album L. Journal of Medicinal Plants
Research 5(23): 5545-5549. [Comparing different
solvents for the extraction of active materials from V.
album.]
Muhammad Jamil. 2011. The relationship between
strigolactones and Striga hermonthica infection in
cereals. PhD Thesis, Wageningen University,
Wageningen, The Netherlands, 192 pp. [Showing
good correlation between strigolactones and Striga
germination across a range of strigolactone levels
achieved using strigolactone biosynthesis inhibitors,
genetic variation and fertilizer (N and P) application.
See full abstract under Thesis above.]
Muhammad Saeed, Marwat, K.B. and Bakhtiar Gul.
2011. Occurrence of different weeds in canola: a
survey of farmers in District Swat-Pakistan. Pakistan
Journal of Weed Science Research 17(1): 25-31.
[Orobanche spp. were recorded as serious weeds in
canola and tobacco, causing up to 50% yield losses.]
Mullaj, A., Shehu, J., Tan Kit and Imeraj, A. 2010. New
records for the Albanian flora. Botanica Serbica
34(2): 163-167. [Including Orobanche rechingeri.]
Mulvey, R.L. and Hansen, E.M. 2011. Castilleja and
Pedicularis confirmed as telial hosts for Cronartium
ribicola in whitebark pine ecosystems of Oregon and
Washington. Pathology 41(6): 453-463. [Confirming
that Pedicularis racemosa and P. bracteosa and
Castilleja applegatei, C. miniata, C. parviflora and
C. arachnoidea were, or could be, infected by the
rust Cronartium ribicola and that there is sufficient
time for C. ribicola to complete its life cycle on these
hosts.]
HAUSTORIUM 60
Murage, A.W., Obare, G., Chianu, J., Amudavi, D.M.,
Pickett, J.A. and Khan, Z.R. 2010. Duration analysis
of technology adoption effects of dissemination
pathways: A case of ‘push–pull’ technology for
control of Striga weeds and stemborers in Western
Kenya. Crop Protection 30(5): 531-538. [Uptake of
the ‘push-pull’ technique for control of S.
hermonthica was promoted best by field days and
farmer teachers. Other favourable factors were
education, household size and high-income level.]
Mwakaboko, A.S. and Zwanenburg, B. 2011. Single step
synthesis of strigolactone analogues from cyclic keto
enols, germination stimulants for seeds of parasitic
weeds. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 19(16):
5006-5011. [Describing a range of new strigolactone
analogues with high activity stimulating seeds of
Striga and Orobanche spp.]
Mwakaboko, A.S. and Zwanenburg, B. 2011.
Strigolactone analogs derived from ketones using a
working model for germination stimulants as a
blueprint. Plant Cell Physiol 52(4): 699-715.
[Describing a range of compounds with appreciable
germinating activity on Striga hermonthica,
Orobanche crenata and O. cernua. Stereoisomers
having the same configuration at the D-ring as in
naturally occurring strigol have a higher stimulatory
effect than the corresponding antipodes. The analogs
obtained from 1-indanone and 1-tetralone have an
activity comparable with that of the well known
stimulant GR 24.]
Mythili, S., Sathiavelu, A. and Sridharan, T.B. 2011.
Antimicrobial activity of selected Indian folk
medicinal plants. Journal of Pharmacy Research 4(6):
1894-1898. [Reporting inhibition of Klebsiella
pneumoniae by extracts of Cassytha filiformis.]
Ndambi, B., Cadisch, G., Elzein, A. and Heller, A. 2011.
Colonization and control of Striga hermonthica by
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae, a mycoherbicide
component: an anatomical study. Biological Control
58(2): 149-159. [F. oxysporum strigae (Foxy 2)
controls S. hermonthica by i) complete digestion of
parasite seedlings inside the host and ii) clogging of
vessels of emerged plants by hyphae, contributing to
wilting and subsequent death.]
Nicácio, J.N., Uchôa, M.A., Faccenda, O., Guimarães,
J.A. and Marinho, C.F. 2001. Native larval parasitoids
(Hymenoptera) of frugivorous Tephritoidea (Diptera)
in South Pantanal Region, Brazil. Florida
Entomologist 94(3): 407-419. [In Ximenia americana
((Ximeniaceae)) 14% of the larvae of the tephritid
Anastrepha spp. were parasitized by the braconid
Doryctobracon areolatus which reached more than
96% of total parasitism in this host fruit.]
Njume, C., Afolayan, A.J. and Ndip, R.N. 2011.
Diversity of plants used in the treatment of
Helicobacter pylori associated morbidities in the
36
nkonkobe municipality of the Eastern Cape province
of South Africa. Journal of Medicinal Plants
Research 5(14): 3146-3151. [Hydnora africana
among 17 plant species used as a remedy for
stomach ulcers.]
Nobre, C.,E.B. and Schlindwein, C. 2011. New records
for species of Theope (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae) for
the state of Pernambuco and northeastern Brazil, with
notes on their natural history. Revista Brasileira de
Entomologia 55(2): 275-278. [Schoepfia guianensis
(Schoepfiaceae) noted as the probable host of Theope
terambus.]
Noumi, E. and Ebwelle, E.S. 2011. Potentiality of
medicinal plants in treating urinary lithiasis in
Littoral Region, Cameroon. European Journal of
Medicinal Plants 1(3): 74-87. [Coula edulis
(Coulaceae) among plants used traditionally.]
Nowak, B., Pineault-Molenat, D., Boulet, C. and Leflon,
M. 2010. (Impact of catch crops on the evolution of
broomrape's seed bank.) (in French) 21ème
Conférence du COLUMA. Journées Internationales
sur la Lutte contre les Mauvaises Herbes, Dijon,
France, 8-9 Décembre, 2010: 247-255. [Noting
increasing importance of O. ramosa on oilseed rape
in the Poitou-Charentes area, and the lack of good
control methods. Suggesting that catch crops of
mustard or oilseed rape decrease the seed bank by
30% and can be combined with chemical control.]
O'Connell, J.M., Sandler, H.A., Adler, L.S. and Caruso,
F.L. 2011. Controlled studies further the
development of practical guidelines to manage
dodder (Cuscuta gronovii) in cranberry production
with short-term flooding. Renewable Agriculture and
Food Systems 26(4): 269-275. [Results suggest
flooding does not reduce germination of C. gronovii
but delays stem growth and may be best applied
some time after germination.]
Ogechukwu, O.E., Ogoamaka, O.P., Sylvester, N.C.,
Kawamura, A. and Proksch, P. 2011.
Immunomodulatory activity of a lupane triterpenoid
ester isolated from the eastern Nigeria mistletoe,
Loranthus micranthus (Linn). Asian Pacific Journal
of Tropical Medicine 4(7): 514-522. [Findings
support the ethnomedicinal use of L. micranthus (=
Ileostylus micranthus ) in the management of
diseases affecting the immune system, perhaps due to
the effect of triterpenoid(s) on splenocytes and IL-8
receptor expression.]
Ogola, J.B.O. and 10 others. 2009. Effects of green
manure legumes on striga infestation in maize.
Aspects of Applied Biology 96: 259-262. [In a field
trial in South Africa mucuna, lablab, sunhemp and
cowpea grown for a season prior to maize did not
affect emergence or biomass of S. asiatica but gave
increased crop yield comparable to those from
nitrogen.]
HAUSTORIUM 60
Okubamichael, D.Y., Griffiths, M.E. and Ward, D. 2011.
Host specificity, nutrient and water dynamics of the
mistletoe Viscum rotundifolium and its potential host
species in the Kalahari of South Africa. Journal of
Arid Environments 75(10): 898-902. [V.
rotundifolium parasitises only Ehretia rigida and
Ziziphus mucronata at this site though these were not
the commonest or tallest trees available.]
Okubamichael, D.Y., Rasheed, M.Z., Griffiths, M.E. and
Ward, D. 2011. Avian consumption and seed
germination of the hemiparasitic mistletoe Agelanthus
natalitius (Loranthaceae). Journal of Ornithology
152(3): 643-649. [Seven bird species recorded feeding
on fruits of A. natalitius in South Africa.]
Olabissi, O.A. Moussa, O., Moustapha, O. Edgard, Z.F.,
Eléonore, K. Marius, L. and Pierre, G.I. 2011. Acute
toxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of aqueous
ethanol extract of root bark of Ximenia americana L.
(Olacaceae). African Journal of Pharmacy and
Pharmacology 5(7): 806-811. [Aqueous ethanol
extracts of root bark of X. americana possess antiinflammatory properties, inhibiting oedema, pain, cell
migration and increased vascular permeability.]
Olakojo, S.A. and Olaoye, G. 2011. Correlation and
heritability estimates of maize agronomic traits for
yield improvement and Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze
tolerance. African Journal of Plant Science 5(6): 365369. [Confirming that genotypic and phenotypic
correlation coefficients as well as heritability
estimates were found suitable as models for yield
improvement and selection for S. asiatica-tolerant
genotypes in Nigeria.]
Oyetayo, O.V. 2011. Antimicrobials from wild edible
plants of Nigeria. Natural antimicrobials in food
safety and quality. In: Rai, M. and Chikindas, M.
(eds) Natural antimicrobials in food safety and
quality. CABI, Wallingford, UK. pp. 261-276.
[Reviewing the antimicrobial properties of a range of
plants including Tapinanthus dodoneifolius.]
Pattanayak, S.P. and Mazumder, P.M. 2011. Therapeutic
potential of Dendrophthoe falcata (L.f) Ettingsh on
7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary
tumorigenesis in female rats: effect on antioxidant
system, lipid peroxidation, and hepatic marker
enzymes. Comparative Clinical Pathology 20(4): 381392. [Results suggests that extracts of D. falcata show
antioxidant activity and play a protective role against
DMBA-induced breast carcinogenesis.]
Panetta, F.D., Cacho, O., Hester, S., Sims-Chilton, N. and
Brooks, S. 2011. Estimating and influencing the
duration of weed eradication programmes. Journal of
Applied Ecology 48(4): 980-988. [A model predicts a
minimum 22 years for eradication of Orobanche
ramosa from the infested area in Australia with 62
years being a more realistic estimate. Also discussing
ways in which eradication might be hastened.]
37
Peng Liang (and many others). 2011. (Influences of
herba cistanche tea on the ability of anti-fatigue and
anoxia endurance in mice.) (in Chinese) Modern
Preventive Medicine 38(12): 2362-2364. [Extracts of
Cistanche prolonged the swimming time of mice,
increased their hepatic glycogen reserve and
decreased their lactic acid after swimming.]
Pickett, J.A. and Hooper, A.M. 2011. Delivering
resistance to a major constraint for rain-fed rice
production. New Phytologist 192(4): 792-794.
[Useful commentary on two papers in this issue of
New Phytologist on pre- and post-attachment
resistance in the New Rice for Africa (NERICA)
cultivars by Cissoko et al. and Jamil et al. (see listed
above.]
Pooja Sinoriya, Irchhaiya, R., Bhawna Sharma, Gayatri
Sahu and Santosh Kumar. 2011. Anticonvulsant and
muscle relaxant activity of the ethanolic extract of
stems of Dendrophthoe falcata (Linn. F.) in mice.
Indian Journal of Pharmacology 43(6): 710-713.
[Concluding that extracts of D. falcata do have
anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant activity.]
Poudel, A. and 11 others. 2011. Antioxidative and
antiobesity activity of Nepalese wild herbs. Natural
Product Sciences 17(2): 123-129. [Extracts of
Cuscuta reflexa showed potent antioxidant activity.]
Pradeep Kumar, Madhu Kamle and Jagtar Singh 2011.
Biochemical characterization of Santalum album
(Chandan) leaf peroxidase. Physiology and
Molecular Biology of Plants 17(2): 153-159.
Prandi, C., Occhiato, E.G., Tabasso, S., Bonfante, P.,
Novero, M., Scarpi, D., Bova, M.E. and Miletto, I.
2011. New potent fluorescent analogues of
strigolactones: synthesis and biological activity in
parasitic weed germination and fungal branching.
European Journal of Organic Chemistry 20/21: 37813893. [The synthesis of new fluorescent analogues of
strigolactones is reported allowing the introduction of
various substituents on the A and C rings. Their
biological activity was assessed with seeds of
Orobanche aegyptiaca and the AM fungus
Gigaspora margarita.]
Priti Soni and Sikarwar, R.L.S. 2011. Pharmacopoeial
standardization of Alectra chitrakutensis (M.A. Rau.)
R. Prasad & R.D. Dixit found in Chitrakoot Region.
Journal of Natural Remedies 11(2): 124-131. [A
preliminary study of the possible active ingredients
of the endangered medicinal herb A. chitrakutensis.]
Qaiser, M., Tahmeena Siddiqui and Shaukat, S.S. 2011.
Two new species of Euphrasia (Orobanchanceae)
from Pakistan and adjoining areas. Pakistan Journal
of Botany 43(4) 1809-1818. [Morphological analysis
of the Euphrasia densiflora and E. jaeschkei
complexes has led to description of the new species
E. omeri and E. alii.]
HAUSTORIUM 60
Qasem, J.R. 2011. Parasitic flowering plants of woody
species in Jordan. European Journal of Plant
Pathology 131(1): 143-155. [85 woody plant species
belonging to 33 botanical families are recorded being
parasitised by species of Cuscuta, Orobanche,
Cistanche, Plicosepalus, Viscum, Osyris and
Cynomorium. Including some new host records.]
Ramadan, M.F., Hefnawy, H.T.M. and Gomaa, A.M.
2011. Bioactive lipids and fatty acids profile of
Cistanche phelypaea. Journal für Verbraucherschutz
und Lebensmittelsicherheit 6(3): 333-338. [Major
components of oil from C. phelypaea included oleic,
palmitic and linoleic acids, β-sitosterol, and α and βtocopherol.]
Rampratap Meena, Meena, A.K., Mageswari, S.,
Ramaswamy, D. and Khan, S.A. 2010. Evaluation of
pharmacopoeial standards with reference to aftimoonwhole plant (Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.). International
Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research
(IJPSR) 1(11): 139-141. [Describing the methods for
analysing products based on C. reflexa, of local
importance for treatment of insanity, melancholia,
melanous, epilepsy, numbness, paralysis, facial palsy,
arthritis, worm infestation, jaundice and in the
weakness of liver, stomach and spleen.]
Rawsthorne, J., Watson, D.M. and Roshier, D.A. 2011.
Implications of movement patterns of a dietary
generalist for mistletoe seed dispersal. Austral
Ecology 36(6): 650-655. [Studies of the movement of
spiny-cheeked honeyeater Acanthagenys rufogularis
showed that it might disperse seeds of Amyema
quandang (Loranthaceae) up to 700m away.]
*Riley, K. L. and Chastagner, G.A. 2011. First report of
Phytophthora ramorum infecting mistletoe in
California. Plant Health Progress PHP-2011-0209-02BR.
(http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/php/eleme
nts/sum.aspx?id=9402&photo=5200) [Unspecified
mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum?) infesting black
walnut was found to be a host for P. ramorum, the
cause of Sudden Oak Death.]
Robles-Zepeda, R.E., Velázquez-Contreras, C.A.,
Garibay-Escobar, A., Gálvez-Ruiz, J.C. and RuizBustos, E. 2011. Antimicrobial activity of
Northwestern Mexican plants against Helicobacter
pylori. Journal of Medicinal Food 14(10): 1280-1283.
[Among 17 local plants used traditionally for
gastrointestinal problems, extracts from Krameria
erecta (Krameriaceae) were among those causing at
least 50% inhibition of H. pylori.]
Rodenburg, J. and Bastiaans, L. 2011. Host-plant defence
against Striga spp.: reconsidering the role of
tolerance. Weed Research (Oxford) 51(5): 438-441.
[Emphasising the potential value of combining
tolerance with resistance (including as insurance
against breakdown of resistance) but noting the
38
difficulty of screening for tolerance in resistant
material. Suggesting approaches to the identification
and exploitation of genes for tolerance.]
Rodenburg, J., Zossou-Kouderin, N., Gbèhounou, G.,
Ahanchede, A., Touré, A., Kyalo, G. and Kiepe, P.
2011. Rhamphicarpa fistulosa, a parasitic weed
threatening rain-fed lowland rice production in subSaharan Africa - a case study from Benin. Crop
Protection 30(10): 1306-1314. [Recording some
increase in the occurrence of R. fistulosa
(Orobanchaceae) in Benin, and farmer estimates of
over 60% yield loss. Also reporting useful variations
in resistance and tolerance among rice varieties, and
alleviation of damage with nitrogen application.]
Roh HyunSik, Lim EuGene, Kim JinWoo and Park
ChungGyoo. 2011. Acaricidal and oviposition
deterring effects of santalol identified in sandalwood
oil against two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus
urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). Journal of Pest
Science 84(4): 495-501. [Among 34 oils, that from
Santalum album had the most acaricidal and repellent
effects against T. urticae.]
Rohilla, R., Munish Garg and Gaurav Kumar. 2011. A
newly discovered phytohormone: Strigolactones. Der
Pharmacia Sinica 2(4): 164-171. [A general review.]
Rösch, M. and Tserendorj, G. 2011. (A natural history
study of the flora of the northern Schwarzwald
region, southwestern Germany.) (in German)
Hercynia 44(1): 53-71. [Pollen studies show that
Viscum album occurred in the early Holocene but
became less common after the expansion of Abies
alba, replacing Taxus baccata.]
Sabbagh, S.K. 2011. Effect of GR24, a synthetic
analogue of strigolactones, on gene expression of
solopathogenic strain of Sporisorium reilianum.
African Journal of Biotechnology 10(70): 1573915743. [Reviewing the creation of functional analogs
and inhibitors of plant hormones with examples of
brassinosteroids, ABA biosynthesis inhibitors and
regulators of strigolactone function: SL mimics, SL
biosynthesis inhibitor and SL biosynthesis regulation
through gibberellin.]
Saidou, A.K., Ajeigbe, H.A. and Singh, B.B. 2011.
Participatory evaluation of improved cowpea lines
and cropping systems for enhancing food security
and income generation in Niger Republic, West
Africa. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural &
Environmental Sciences 11(1): 55-61. [Four
improved cowpea varieties were inferior to local
varieties under traditional cropping practice but gave
2-3 fold higher yields as sole crops or with an
improved cropping system (not specified in the
abstract). Two, IT97K-499-38 and IT97K-499-35,
are resistant to Striga gesnerioides.]
Satish Patil, Sneha Anarthe, Ram Jadhav and Sanjay
Surana.2011. Evaluation of anti-inflammatory
HAUSTORIUM 60
activity and in-vitro antioxidant activity of Indian
Mistletoe, the hemiparasite Dendrophthoe falcata L.
F. (Loranthaceae). Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical
Research 10(2): 253-259. [Extracts of D. falcata
leaves were found to have potent anti-inflammatory
and in-vitro antioxidant effects.]
Scholes, J.D., Bruce, T., Foyer, C., Halford, N., Keys, A.,
Kunert, K., Lawlor, D., Parry, M. and Russell, G.
2009. Unravelling the molecular basis of resistance in
rice to the witchweed Striga. Aspects of Applied
Biology 96: 77-78. [C. campestris accumulates much
higher levels of Zn, Cu and Cd than its hosts, but also
produces phytochelatins that may function to protect
it from acquired toxic substances.)
Semerci, A., Kaya, Y., Peker, K., Sahin, I. and Citak, N.
2011. The analysis of sunflowers yield and water
productivity in Trakya region. Bulgarian Journal of
Agricultural Science 17(2): 207-217. [The adoption
rates of farmers in Turkey, to new sunflower varieties
including herbicide resistant (IMI) and those
genetically resistant to Orobanche cumana are over
90%.]
Sepehr, M.F., Jameie, S.B. and Hajijafari, B. 2011. The
Cuscuta kotschyana effects on breast cancer cells line
MCF7. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 5(27):
6344-6351. [Findings of a study in Iran suggest that
the flavonoid extract of C. kotschyana could be useful
in breast cancer treatment.]
Shefferson, R.P., McCormick, M.K., Whigham, D.F. and
O'Neill, J.P. 2011. Life history strategy in herbaceous
perennials: inferring demographic patterns from the
aboveground dynamics of a primarily subterranean,
myco-heterotrophic orchid. Oikos 120(9): 1291-1300.
[Including exploration of the hypothesis that in the
absence of the need to photosynthesise, sprouting of
the myco-heterotrophic Corallorhiza odontorhiza.
would be rare and would always lead to flowering.]
Shin Sun, Lee YunJung, Kim EunJu, Lee AnSook, Kang
DaeGill and Lee HoSub. 2011. Effect of Cuscuta
chinensis on renal function in ischemia/reperfusioninduced acute renal failure in rats. American Journal
of Chinese Medicine 39(5): 889-902. [An aqueous
extract of C. chinensis ameliorated regulation of the
urine concentration and renal functions in rats with
ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute renal failure.]
Showemimo, F.A. 2010. Effect of Striga hermonthica on
yield and yield components of sorghum in Northern
Guinea savanna of Nigeria. Journal of Plant Sciences
5(1): 86-90. [Samsorg-17 and Samsorg-3 are
identified as potential sources of resistance/tolerance
to Striga hermonthica.]
Shuka, L., Malo, S. and Tan, K. 2011. New chorological
data and floristic notes for Albania. Botanica Serbica
35(2): 157-162. [Including a new record for
Pedicularis ernesti-mayeri.]
39
Sodde Vijay, Dashora Nipun, Prabhu Kirti and Lobo
Richard. 2011. Antioxidant activities of methanolic
and aqueous extract of Macrosolen parasiticus (L.)
Danser. International Journal of Research in
Ayurveda and Pharmacy (IJRAP) 2(1): 207-210.
[Results suggest that extracts of M. parasiticus could
be a source of natural antioxidant in preventing ageassociated oxidative stress-related degenerative
diseases.]
Sodde, V., Dashora, N., Prabhu, K.S. and Lobo, R. 2011.
Evaluation of anticancer activity of Macrosolen
parasiticus (L.) Danser on Ehrlich's ascites
carcinoma treated mice. International Journal of
Cancer Research (USA) 7(2): 135-143.
[Demonstrating that extracts of M. parasiticus have
potent anticancer activity comparable to that of
cisplatin.]
Soliman, I.E. and Hamza, A.M. 2010. Evaluation of
some herbicides against flax dodder (Cuscuta
epilinum Weihe) in fibre flax (Linum ustatissimum
L.) cultivation. Journal of Plant Protection Research
50(3): 372-378. [In field trials in Egypt, butralin gave
the best control of C. epilinum followed by
metosulam, tribenuron-methyl and fluazifop-p-butyl.
All increased flax yield.]
Soro, K., Soro, D., N'Guessan, K., Gnahoua, G.M. and
Traoré, D. 2011. (Loranthaceae parasitism on rubber
in the forest zone of the sub-prefectures of Gagnoa
and Ouragahio, Cote d'Ivoire.) (in French) Journal of
Animal and Plant Sciences (JAPS) 6(1): 597-604.
[Surveying the occurrence of Phragmanthera
capitata.]
Start, A.N. 2011. Fire responses and survival strategies
of mistletoes (Loranthaceae) in an arid environment
in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Botany
59(6): 533-542. [One species (unspecified!)
recovered from fire by resprouting. Twelve others
reduced fire risk by varying degrees of host
specificity, favouring hosts that grew in fire-sheltered
sites while 2 other species grew on fire-vulnerable
hosts in fire-prone grasslands but had very low host
specificity, increasing the likelihood that imported
seed would be deposited on suitable hosts.]
Stefanova, N.A., Fursova, A.Zh., Sarsenbaev, K.N. and
Kolosova, N.G. 2011. Effects of Cistanche
deserticola on behavior and signs of cataract and
retinopathy in senescence-accelerated OXYS rats.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 138(2): 624-632.
[Noting beneficial effects of C. deserticola extracts
on age-related behavioral decline, cataract and
retinopathy.]
Suchinina, T.V. and Petrichenko, V.M. 2011. Seed oil
fatty acid composition of some Euphrasia species
(Scrophulariaceae). Rastitel'nye Resursy 47(3): 97102. [Nine fatty acids were identified in oils from 7
HAUSTORIUM 60
Euphrasia ssp., mainly unsaturated linolenic, linoleic
and oleic acids, in Perm region of Russia.]
Sule, T.T., Avav, T. and Shave, P.A. 2008. Distribution
and intensity of Striga in Benue State, Nigeria.
Nigerian Journal of Weed Science 21: 4-11. [A survey
of 1250 fields found 97% infested by S. hermonthica
on maize, sorghum and rice and on 4 grass weed
species.]
Sunita Shailajan and Harshvardhan Joshi. 2011.
Optimized separation and quantification of
pharmacologically active markers quercetin,
kaempferol, β-sitosterol and lupeol from Cuscuta
reflexa Roxb. Journal of Pharmacy Research 4(6):
1851-1853.
Sunita, P., Pattanayak, S.P. and Oraon, A. 2010.
Pharmacognostic studies on leaves of Dendrophthoe
falcata (L.f) Ettingsh. Hamdard Medicus 53(1): 106112. [Reporting mostly morphological features.]
Szeto YimTong, Wong ChingYee, WaiMing and Pak
SokCheon. 2011. In vitro antioxidation activity and
genoprotective effect of selected Chinese medicinal
herbs. American Journal of Chinese Medicine 39(4):
827-838. [None of the studied products including that
based on Cuscuta showed activity in the ‘comet’ test
for protection of DNA from oxidant challenge by
hydrogen peroxide.]
Tájek, P. 2000. (Flora and vegetation of the Vřesovec - an
important serpentinite locality of the Mnichovské
hadce region.) (in Czech) Erica (Plzeň) 17: 33-50.
[Including observations on Pedicularis sylvatica (in
Czech Republic).]
Tehmina Asmat, Khan, M.A., Mushtaq Ahmed,
Muhammad Zafar, Fouzia Manzoor, Mamoona
Munir, Kulsoom Akhtar, Shazia Bashir, Tehmeena
Mukhtar, Madiha Ambreen and Abbasi, S.N. 2011.
Pollen morphology of selected species of
Scrophulariaceae of District Dir Upper, Pakistan.
Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 5(28): 64236428. [In a study of 9 species, pollen grains were
usually radially symmetrical, isopolar, oblatespheroidal or prolate-spheroidal or sub-prolate,
tricolporate and psilate, except Pedicularis oederi (the
only parasitic sp. included) which has bisyncolpate
pollen.]
Telli̇, S. Üremi̇ş, İ. 2010. (Plant protection problems and
recommendations for their solutions in parsley
production in Samandağ (Hatay).) (in Turkish) Ziraat
Fakultesi Dergisi, Mustafa Kemal Universitesi 15(1):
39-48. [Orobanche aegyptiaca and O. ramosa among
the most important weeds of parsley.]
Těšitel, J., Lepš, J., Vráblová, M. and Cameron, D.D.
2011. The role of heterotrophic carbon acquisition by
the hemiparasitic plant Rhinanthus alectorolophus in
seedling establishment in natural communities: a
physiological perspective. New Phytologist 192(1):
188-199. [Shading R. alectorolophus reduced growth
40
when young but had less effect later. Shading
increased the proportion of carbon acquired from the
host, up to 50%.]
Tesso, T.T. and Ejeta, G. 2011. Integrating multiple
control options enhances Striga management and
sorghum yield on heavily infested soils. Agronomy
Journal 103(5): 1464-1471. [In field experiments in
Ethiopia, a resistant variety gave the greatest
reduction in emergence of S. hermonthica but only a
modest increase in crop yield. Tied ridges and N
fertilizer alone did not reduce Striga emergence but
the combination of all 3 inputs increased crop yield
by 121%.]
Thomson, F.J., Moles, A.T., Auld, T.D. and Kingsford,
R.T. 2011. Seed dispersal distance is more strongly
correlated with plant height than with seed mass.
Journal of Ecology (Oxford) 99(6): 1299-1307.
[Striga hermonthica was the species with the
smallest mass per seed among the 211 species
studied.]
Tilk, M., Mandre, M., Klõšeiko, J. and Kõresaar, P.
2011. Ground vegetation under natural stress
conditions in Scots pine forests on fixed sand dunes
in southwest Estonia. Journal of Forest Research
16(3): 223-227. [Melampyrum pratense among
commonest species under Pinus sylvestris on lower
dunes.]
Tiwari, C.K., Nidhi Sharma, Verma, R.K. and
Jamaluddin. 2009. Screening of Ganoderma lucidum
isolates by using cellulolytic adequacy index. Journal
of Tropical Forestry 25(1/2) 66-71. [Santalum album
among the wood types involved in the study.]
Tomilov, A., Tomilova, N. and Yoder, J.I. 2007.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium
rhizogenes transformed roots of the parasitic plant
Triphysaria versicolor retain parasitic competence.
Planta 225(5): 1059-1071.
Tsialtas, J.T. and Eleftherohorinos, I.G. 2011. First
report of branched broomrape (Orobanche ramosa)
on oilseed rape (Brassica napus), wild mustard
(Sinapis arvensis), and wild vetch (Vicia spp.) in
northern Greece. Plant Disease 95(1): 1322.
[Infestation of oilseed rape by O. ramosa, causing
estimated 30-60% yield loss, apparently associated
with infestation of tobacco on this land 20 years
previously.]
Tsuboi, Y., Doi, T., Matsunami, K., Otsuka, H.,
Shinzato, T. and Takeda, Y. 2011. Gallates of
isoorientin and (2S)-1,2-propanediol glucoside from
the leaves of Schoepfia jasminodora. Journal of
Natural Medicines 65(3/4): 617-622. [Two new
galloyl esters from S. jasminodora (Schoepfiaceae)
showed radical scavenging activity.]
Ueno, K., Fujiwara, M., Nomura, S., Mizutani, M.,
Sasaki, M., Takikawa, H. and Sugimoto, Y. 2011.
Structural requirements of strigolactones for
HAUSTORIUM 60
germination induction of Striga gesnerioides seeds.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59(17)
9226-9231. [Optically active (8bR,2′R)-isomers of 4hydroxy-GR24 and 4-acetoxy-GR24 induced
germination of Striga gesnerioides, but the racemic
diastereomers did not. The stereoisomer of GR24 with
the same configuration induced negligible
germination. Some of the compounds tested were
effective antagonists of induction of seed germination
by cowpea root exudate. An oxygenated substituent at
C-4 and the configuration of the C-and D-ring are
essential structural requirements for induction of
germination in S. gesnerioides seeds.]
Ueno, K., Nomura, S., Muranaka, S., Mizutani, M.,
Takikawa, H. and Sugimoto, Y. 2011. Ent-2′-epiorobanchol and its acetate, as germination stimulants
for Striga gesnerioides seeds isolated from cowpea
and red clover. Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry 59(19): 10485-10490. [Confirming the
identity of stimulants for S. gesnerioides and
indicating that the acetate may be the same as that
previously described as alectrol.]
Urmilesh Jha and Tushar, T.S. 2011. Hepatoprotective
activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Cuscuta reflexa
Roxb in paracetamol intoxicated albino rats.
International Journal of Research in Ayurveda and
Pharmacy (IJRAP) 2(4): 1290-1293. [Suggesting that
the hepatoprotective activity of C. reflexa may be due
to normalization of impaired membrane function
activity.]
Vaishali Patil. 2011. Pharmacognostical study on the seed
of Santalum album Linn. International Journal of
PharmTech Research 3(3): 1600-1602. [A preliminary
study.]
van Deenen, N., Prüfer, D. and Gronover, C.S. 2011. A
latex lectin from Euphorbia trigona is a potent
inhibitor of fungal growth. Biologia Plantarum 55(2):
335-339. [Including reference to agglutinin from
Viscum album var. coloratum.]
van Hoveln, M.D., Evans, B.A. and Borowicz, V.A.
2011. Hemiparasite - host plant interactions and the
impact of herbivory: a field experiment. Botany
89(9): 537-544. [In a study of four clipping treatments
(none, early, late, early and late) on Schizachyrium
scoparium, the impact of Pedicularis canadensis
(Orobanchaceae) and clipping on host growth were
independent, but clipping altered the value of the host
to the parasite.]
van Mourik, T.A., Stomph, T.J. and Murdoch, A.J. 2011.
Purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica) germination
and seedbank depletion under different crops, fallow,
and bare soil. Weed Biology and Management 11(2):
100-110. [Similar results were obtained by seed bag
and soil sampling techniques used to assess seed loss
of S. hermonthica in the field in Mali and Nigeria.
Greatest losses were by germination under susceptible
41
cereal crops. Losses lower under non-host crops,
fallow and bare soil.]
Varga, I, Poczai, P. and Taller, J. 2011. Biological
control of common mistletoe (Viscum album L.) with
hyperparasitic fungus. Abstract presented at 3rd
International Symposium on Environment and
Invasive Plants. Ascona, Switzerland, October, 2011.
European Weed Scierce Society.
(http://www.ewrs.org/doc/EWRS_Invasive_Ascona_
Abstracts_2011.pdf) [Reporting culture techniques
for use of the fungus Phaeobotryosphaeria visci for
control of V. album.]
Vermaak, I., Kamatou, G.P.P., Komane-Mofokeng, B.,
Viljoen, A.M., Beckett, K., van Wyk, B.E. and
Viljoen, A. 2011. African seed oils of commercial
importance - cosmetic applications. South African
Journal of Botany 77(4): 920-933. [Reviewing the
cosmetic applications, physico-chemical properties,
oil composition and biological activity of 6
commercially important species including Ximenia
americana.]
Vicaş, S.I., Rugină, D. and Socaciu, C. 2011.
Comparative study about antioxidant activities of
Viscum album from different host trees, harvested in
different seasons. Journal of Medicinal Plants
Research 5(11): 2237-2244. [Noting differences in
antioxidant activity of extracts of V. album according
to the host Acer campestre, Fraxinus excelsior,
Populus nigra, Malus domestica or Robinia
pseudoacacia, and season]
Vijay Sodde, Nipun Dashora, Kirti Prabhu, Bhagat
Jaykumar and Richard Lobo. 2011.Histological and
physico-chemical studies of Macrosolen parasiticus
(L.) Danser Stem - a common parasitic medicinal
plant. Der Pharmacia Sinica 2(1): 217-221. [M.
parasiticus (Loranthaceae) stem extracts exhibited
moderate free radical scavenging activity.]
Vivika Meltsov, Anneli Poska, Odgaard, B.V., Sammul,
M. and Kull, T. 2011. Palynological richness and
pollen sample evenness in relation to local floristic
diversity in southern Estonia. Review of
Palaeobotany and Palynology 166(3/4): 344-351.
[Melampyrum among the species recorded.]
Vurro, E., Ruotolo, R., Ottonello, S., Elviri, L., Maffini,
M., Falasca, G., Zanella, L., Altamura, M.M., di
Toppi, L.S., di Toppi, L.S. and Meharg, A.A. 2011.
Phytochelatins govern zinc/copper homeostasis and
cadmium detoxification in Cuscuta campestris
parasitizing Daucus carota. Environmental and
Experimental Botany 72(1): 26-33. [C. campestris
accumulates much higher levels of Zn, Cu and Cd
than its hosts, but also produces phytochelatins that
may function to protect it from acquired toxic
substances.)
Wagner, H., Scheer, R., 2011. Mistletoe in Tumour
Therapy. Basic Research and Clinical Practice. In:
HAUSTORIUM 60
Wagner, H. and Scheer, R. (eds) Proceedings of the
5th Mistletoe Symposium, Nonnweiler - Otzenhausen,
Germany, 10-12 November 2011. Phytomedicine
18(Supplement VIII): S1-S28. [See Meeting Report
above.]
Wang WanLin, Wang JiYun, Chen AiLian, Hu YuKun
and Liu YanYan. 2010. (Study of Pedicularis
verticillata's chemical control.) (in Chinese) Xinjiang
Agricultural Sciences 47(6): 1242-1247. [Concluding
that MCPA was ideal for control of P. verticillata in
alpine grassland.]
Wang XiaoMei, Zhang Qian, Rena, K., Wang XinLing
and Wang XiaoQing. 2011. (Chemical constituents in
whole plant of Cynomorium songaricum.) (in
Chinese) Zhongcaoyao = Chinese Traditional and
Herbal Drugs 42(3): 458-460.
Waters, M.T., Smith, S.M. and Nelson, D.C. 2011.
Smoke signals and seed dormancy: Where next for
MAX2? Plant Signaling and Behaviour 6(9): 14181422. [The Arabidopsis thaliana protein MAX2 has
roles in leaf senescence, seedling photosensitivity,
shoot outgrowth, and seed germination. MAX2
mediates specific responses to both strigolactones and
karrikins. Putative Orobanchaceae MAX2 orthologs
form a sub-clade distinct from those of other dicots,
suggesting that lineage-specific evolution of MAX2
may have given rise to specialized responses to these
signaling molecules.]
Watson, D.M., McGregor, H.W. and Spooner, P.G. 2011.
Hemiparasitic shrubs increase resource availability
and multi-trophic diversity of eucalypt forest birds.
Functional Ecology 25(4): 889-899. [Plots of
Eucalyptus camaldulensis with an under-story of
Exocarpos strictus (Santalaceae) were richer in
arthropod and bird species than equivalent plots with
an under-story of non-parasitic Acacia dealbata.]
Welsh, A.B. and Mohamed, K.I. 2011. Genetic diversity
of Striga hermonthica populations in Ethiopia:
evaluating the role of geography and host specificity
in shaping population structure. International Journal
of Plant Sciences 172(6): 773-782. [All 12
populations of S. hermonthica from 4 host crops were
distinct when compared using AFLP. Differences
were greatest with geographic distance rather than
host species.]
White, B.L.A., Ribeiro, A.de S., White, L.A.S. and do
Nascimento Júnior, J.E. 2011. Analysis of the
incidence of mistletoes in the Sergipe Federal
University, São Cristóvão Campus. Floresta 41(1): 18. [Struthanthus vulgaris (Loranthaceae) occurred on
4 exotic tree species. S. polyrrizus occurred only on
the native Anacardium occidentale.]
Wickett N.J., plus 10 coauthors. 2011. Transcriptomes of
the parasitic plant family Orobanchaceae reveal
surprising conservation of chlorophyll synthesis.
Current Biology 21: 2098–2104. [One would expect
42
the holoparasite Phelipanche aegyptiaca to have lost
not only photosynthesis-related gene expression but
also its chlorophyll synthesis pathway. But such is
not the case in that the latter genes are retained and
expressed at low levels.]
Wong ZinHua and Habsah Abdul Kadir. 2011.
Antioxidative and neuroprotective effects of
Loranthus parasiticus (L.) Merr (Loranthaceae)
against oxidative stress in NG108-15 cells. Journal of
Medicinal Plants Research 5(27): 6291-6298.
[Extracts of L. parasiticus (=Scurrula parasitica) (in
Malaysia) showed antioxidative and neuroprotective
effects apparently proportional to their phenolic
content.]
Wright, M.A.R., Welsh, M. and Costea, M. 2011.
Diversity and evolution of the gynoecium in Cuscuta
(dodders, Convolvulaceae) in relation to their
reproductive biology: two styles are better than one.
Plant Systematics and Evolution 296(1/2): 51-76.
[This study supports the sub-generic classification of
the genus showing specialization of style maturation
in relation to pollination and the first report of a
nectary from modified stomata.]
Wszelaki, N. and Melzig, M.F. 2011. Eyebright:
Euphrasia officinalis L. Zeitschrift für Ganzheitliche
Tiermedizin 25(4): 132-136. [Suggesting that in spite
of the widespread traditional use of E. officinalis
extracts in the treatment of eye conditons, their
action is not well understood and there is a need for
more scientific study.]
Wu Tao, Zhang Juan, Qing DeGang, Chen YanChao and
Ni Hui. 2010. (Study on HPLC fingerprint of
Cistanche tubulosa.) (in Chinese) Xinjiang
Agricultural Sciences 47(3): 499-502.
Yagi, S., Yagi, A.I., Gadir, E.H.A., Henry, M., Chapleur,
Y. and Laurain-Mattar, D. 2011. Toxicity of
Hydnora johannis Becca. dried roots and ethanol
extract in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology
137(1): 796-801. [H. johannis, used for the treatment
of dysentery, diarrhoea, cholera and swelling
tonsillitis in Sudan and other African countries, is
shown to cause useful reduction in cholesterol levels,
but also to be toxic at higher doses, suggesting a need
for caution.]
Yoneyama, K., Yoneyama, K., Takeuchi, Y. and
Sekimoto, H. 2007. Phosphorus deficiency in red
clover promotes exudation of orobanchol, the signal
for mycorrhizal symbionts and germination stimulant
for root parasites. Planta 225(4): 1031-1038.
Yoshida, S. and Shirasu, K. 2011. Discovery of
horizontal gene transfer from host plants to parasitic
plants. (in Japanese) Kagaku to Seibutsu 49(8): 518519. [Describing horizontal gene transfer from a
monocot, probably sorghum, to S. hermonthica. This
seems to be a retelling of the author’s 2010 Science
HAUSTORIUM 60
paper (328: 1128) (see Haustorium 57) for a Japanese
governmental publication.)
Yu WenBin, Huang PanHui, Ree, R.H., Liu MinLu, Li
DeZhu and Wang Hong. 2011. DNA barcoding of
Pedicularis L. (Orobanchaceae): evaluating four
universal barcode loci in a large and hemiparasitic
genus. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 49(5):
425-437. [Applying the bar-coding concept of species
identification to members of the genus Pedicularis, it
was found that a combination of rbcL and ITS
sequences are able to resolve at least 78% of the 88
species.]
Yu WenBin, Huang PanHui and Wang Hong. 2011. A
new synonym of Pedicularis cyathophylla
(Orobanchaceae). Journal of Systematics and
Evolution 49(5): 507. [Suggesting that P.
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HAUSTORIUM 60
has been edited by Chris Parker, 5 Royal York Crescent,
Bristol BS8 4JZ, UK (Email
chrisparker5@compuserve.com), Lytton Musselman,
Parasitic Plant Laboratory, Department of Biological
Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk Virginia
23529-0266, USA (fax 757 683 5283; Email
lmusselm@odu.edu), Jim Westwood, Dept. of Plant
Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Virginia
Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0331, USA (Email
westwood@vt.edu), Harro Bouwmeester of Laboratory
of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box
658, 6700 AR Wageningen, the Netherlands (Email
harro.bouwmeester@wur.nl): with valued assistance
from Dan Nickrent, Southern Illinois University,
Carbondale, USA. It is produced and distributed by
Chris Parker and published by Old Dominion University
(ISSN 1944-6969). Send material for publication to any
of the editors.
NB. Haustorium is no longer distributed in hard-copy
form. It is available by email free of charge and may
also be down-loaded from the IPPS web-site (see
above).