HAUSTORIUM - International Parasitic Plant Society

Haustorium 44 December 2003 

HAUSTORIUM 

Parasitic Plants Newsletter 

Official Organ of the International Parasitic 

Plant Society 

December 2003 Number 44 

IPPS SYMPOSIUM ON PARASITIC 

WEEDS 

We are pleased to announce that the next IPPS 

Symposium will take place in Durban (South 

Africa) on June 24-25, 2004, in collaboration 

with the International Weed Science Congress 

(IWSC). 

The Symposium will include three workshops: 

1. Striga management in various cropping 

systems. 

2. Genetic variation in parasitic weeds. 

3. Physiological and molecular aspects of 

parasitic plant development. 

IPPS members are also invited to attend the 

Parasitic Weeds Sessions of the 4th International 

Weed Science Congress, scheduled on Thursday 

24 June. The IPPS Symposia and the IWSC 

parasitic weeds sessions are complementary, so 

that all participants will have the opportunity to 

discuss parasitic weeds within the wider scope of 

weed biology and control. 

Programme: 

Thursday 24 June 2004 

IWSC Plenary lecture - The parasitic weed 

problem and its fate in the 21st century. 

IWSC session - Progress in parasitic weed 

research, with invited lectures on: 

1. Understanding key developmental processes 

in parasitic weeds (Gebisa Ejeta). 

2. New methodologies for the management of 

parasitic weeds (Joel Ransom). 

3. Mechanisms of resistance and their 

application in susceptible crops (Andre Fer). 

4. Demography of parasitic weeds and its impact 

on management (Paula Westerman). 

IPPS Workshop - Striga management in various 

cropping systems. 

Poster session on parasitic weeds, including 

discussion of selected contributions. 

Friday 25 June 2004 

IPPS Workshop - Genetic variation in parasitic 

weeds. 

IPPS Workshop - Physiological and molecular 

aspects of parasitic plant development. 

Registration: 

Registration is organized by the IWSC. Please 

fill in the form that is found at: 

https://secure.turners.co.za/iwsc2004/form.asp#P 

ayment 

Registration rates: 

Thursday-Friday IWSC sessions and parasitic 

weed symposium (for those not attending the 

IWSC): 

IPPS members US$ 120 

IPPS students US$ 50 

Non-members US$ 180 

Non-member students US$ 50 

Friday IPPS symposium for those registered for 

the IWSC 

IPPS members Free 

Non-members US$ 50 

Call for papers: 

Papers are invited for the three Workshops of the 

IPPS Symposium. Authors are requested to 

submit a short summary of their intended 

contribution in the form of an abstract as 

described for the IWSC conference at: 

(http://www.iwsc2004.org.za/Abstracts.htm). 

The only modification necessary is to include the 

words, “IPPS Symposium:” in front of the 

abstract title. The summary should be of not 

more than 250 words. It should include a clear 

definition of the objective and approach, present 

sufficient details regarding results, pointing out 

1


material that is new. The authors are asked to 

indicate whether they wish to contribute a poster 

or an oral presentation. The Scientific Committee 

reserves the right to request authors to present a 

poster after submission of summary for oral 

presentation. Contributions will be refereed. All 

accepted contributions will be published on the 

IPPS website. 

The deadline for abstract submission is February 

20, 2004. 

Scientific Organizing Committee: 

H. Bouwmeester (the Netherlands) 

P. Delavault (France) 

G. Ejeta (USA) 

D.M. Joel (Israel) 

F. Kanampiu (Kenya) 

M. Press (UK) 

B. Roman (Spain) 

M.P. Timko (USA) 

J.A.C Verkleij (the Netherlands) 

J.H. Westwood (USA) 

K. Yoneyama (Japan) 

W.J. Zou (China) 

Danny Joel, IPPS Secretary 

dmjoel@volcani.agri.gov.il 

THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL WEED 

SCIENCE CONGRESS 

We also encourage IPPS members who are 

interested in parasitic weed control to attend the 

4th International Weed Science Congress, on 20- 

24 June in the same place, where many aspects 

of weed science will be discussed in detail. More 

information on the Congress can be found at: 

http://www.iwsc2004.org.za/ 

We are looking forward to meeting all parasitic 

plant researchers and sharing results and views 

and for fruitful discussions and for the promotion 

of parasitic plant research. 

Useful internet addresses: 

Congress venue (ICC) in Durban: www.icc.co.za 

Accommodations in South Africa: 

www.portfoliocollection.co.za 

Kingdom of the Zulu: www.zulu.org.za 

Kwazulu-Natal Parks: www.kznwildlife.com 

City of Durban: www.kwazulu-natal.co.za/DBN 

South African National Parks Board: 

www.parks-sa.co.za 

FIRST REPORT OF AEGINETIA 

PEDUNCULATA CAUSING SUGARCANE 

WILT IN INDIA 

Barring one short mention that Aeginetia 

pedunculata (Roxb.) Wall. (as Orobanche 

acaulis Roxb.) grows on China sugarcane 

(Saccharum sinense Roxb.) in the Botanic 

Garden at Kolkata (erstwhile, Calcutta) 

(Roxburgh, 1832), this Aeginetia species has not 

been reported as a parasite on sugarcane 

(Saccharum officinarum L.) in India, although A. 

indica has been (Parker and Riches, 1993). Now, 

during a survey in 2000 and around Plassey 

Sugar Mill area in Nadia district of West Bengal, 

India, the first author observed that nearly 100 ha 

of sugarcane crop was infected with A. 

pedunculata as identified by Botanical Survey of 

India, Kolkata. The parasite, 10 to 15 cm tall, 

appears at the base of sugarcane clumps during 

July, one month after the onset of the southwest 

monsoon. Emergence of new inflorescence and 

flowering continues till harvest of the crop in 

December-January. The first flowers produce 

seeds in capsules in September. The seeds are 

minute (0.3mm x 0.2 mm) and numerous (8- 

18,000 per capsule). They float on water and can 

readily spread to other places. Flowers are very 

attractive bearing ca > 50 mm purple limbs with 

a yellow lip. Morphological variations in respect 

of plant height, shape and colour are also 

common. A. pedunculata plants which grow on 

wild grass hosts are smaller than on sugarcane, 

dark red in colour, appear during August to 

October and bear only a few flowers and 

capsules, whereas plants growing on sugarcane 

produce luxuriant growth, abundant large 

flowers with varied shades of colour and many 

capsules. The parasite can survive during mild 

winter months only under the dense canopy of 

sugarcane plants. The loss caused due to the 

parasite is only visible when the infected canes 

began to wilt and dry at the time of harvest in 

December-January. Periodic sampling of 

infected and healthy canes from different 

varieties and from plant and ratoon crops showed 

that on an average the infected cane juice 

contains Brix 7.8 % and sucrose 2 % in 

compared to healthy plant which contains Brix 

19.6 % and sucrose 16.3 %. The loss is 100 % in 

completely dried up patches in infected fields. 

For management of the parasite, weeding with 

manual labour and spraying herbicides like 2,4-D 

and glyphosate are practiced but resurgence of 

the parasitic plant is very quick, needing 

repeated applications albeit without satisfactory 

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management. Development of resistant varieties 

may be the sustainable solution of the problem. 

Work has been initiated in this direction at 

Sugarcane Research Station, Bethuadahari, 

Nadia, West Bengal, India since 2000-01. We 

are also attempting to develop an appropriate 

IPM. A. pedunculata is a rare and threatened 

plant species which is also a medicinal plant, 

implying the need for adequate steps in 

conservation under protection and isolation away 

from its economic hosts. 

A photograph of A. pedunculata can be seen at 

http://www.odu.edu/webroot/instr/sci/plant.nsf 

References: 

Hedayetullah, S. and Saha, J.C.. 1942. Current 

Science 11: 109-110. 

Parker, C. and Riches, C.R. 1993. Parasitic 

Weeds of the World. Wallingford, UK: 

CABI. 

Roxburgh, W. 1832. Flora Indica. Vol 3. p 28. 

Bikash Ranjan Ray, 

Sugarcane Research Station, Bethuadahari 

741126, Nadia, West Bengal, India, 

brray@sancharnet.in 

and MrinaiKanti Dasgupta, 

Institiute of Agriculture, Sriniketan, Birbhum, 

West Bengal, India. 

PARASITIC SCROPHS – NO SUCH 

THING? 

It seems that the problem from serious parasitic 

weeds of the Scrophulariaceae has at last been 

eliminated – on paper at least. The editors of 

Haustorium regret that an important reference – a 

landmark even – was overlooked two years ago. 

Olmstead et al.’s paper ‘Disintegration of the 

Scrophulariaceae’ (American Journal of Botany 

2001, 88: 348-361) proposes that all the parasitic 

genera previously included in the 

Scrophulariaceae should be transferred to 

Orobanchaceae. It had previously been pointed 

out (e.g. by U. Molau in ‘Parasitic Plants’ by 

Press and Graves, 1995) that the Orobanchaceae 

were closely allied with the Rhinanthoideae and 

should be lumped, or integrated with 

Scrophulariaceae. We now have a re-splitting, or 

dis-integration, on new lines which appears to be 

soundly based on the latest molecular 

phylogenetic techniques. Dan Nickrent has been 

adopting the new alignment on his ‘Parasitic 

Plant Connection’ web-site and it is apparently 

accepted by many others of our parasitic plant 

colleagues. A survey of web-site data-bases, 

however, suggests that it has not yet gained full 

recognition. On the USDA GRIN site, the family 

for Striga is given as ‘Scrophulariaceae. Also 

placed in Orobanchaceae’, but other sites such as 

USDA PLANTS, Missouri Botanic Garden, 

Flora Europaea/Royal Botanic Garden 

Edinburgh, IPNI and ITIS all continue to place 

Striga etc in Scrophulariaceae. It seems there 

will be an inevitable long lag before this change 

is fully adopted. Haustorium will be happy to 

hear from any who have views or comments. 

Chris Parker. 

COST 849 

Under this European Union programme, a 

meeting was recently held in Athens, Greece. 

See under Proceedings of Meetings below for a 

list of the papers presented. Further meetings are 

planned for 2004 including two in February, the 

first on Genetic Diversity of Parasitic Plants, in 

Cordoba, Spain, the second on Biological 

Control, in Rome, Italy. 

SYMPOSIUM ON NON-WEEDY 

HEMIPARASITIC SCROPHULARIACEAE 

A two-day symposium on the biology of the nonweedy 

hemiparasitic Scrophulariaceae 

(Orobanchaceae) will be held in Wageningen 

(Netherlands) on 15 and 16 April 2004. A broad 

range of subjects concerning the biology of this 

group will be covered by a number of specialists, 

including Matthies (Ecology), Press 

(Ecophysiology), Kwak & Bekker (Endangered 

species), DePamphilis (Evolution), and others. 

Further information is available on the internet 

(www.hemiparasites.nl), or can be requested by 

sending an email to Siny ter Borg 

(info@hemiparasites.nl). 

THESES 

Denneal Sarah Jamison-McClung (PhD, 

Department of Vegetable Crops and Weed 

Science, University of California, Davis, 

September 2003) Haustorium Development in 

the Parasitic Plant, Triphysaria 

(Orobanchaceae): A Genetic and Molecular 

Analysis. 

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In the Orobanchaceae, a single origin of root 

parasitism followed by multiple losses of 

photosynthetic capacity characterize the 

evolution of parasitic plants. Increasing 

heterotrophy or reliance on host nutrients is 

accompanied by loss of genetic material from the 

chloroplast, gain of parasite-specific traits, and 

increasing host specificity via recognition of 

common plant secondary metabolites. 

Triphysaria, a hemiparasitic plant belonging to 

the Orobanchaceae, was used as a model to 

investigate the genetic and molecular 

mechanisms governing haustorium development. 

Haustoria are the “organs of parasitism” and 

form at the root tips of parasitic Orobanchaceae 

in response to host-derived haustorium inducing 

factors (HIF’s). Variation in natural populations 

of Triphysaria was observed for haustorium 

development in response to the HIF, 2, 6dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone 

(DMBQ). DMBQ 

responsiveness was shown to be heritable and 

influenced by maternal effects. 

Development of autohaustoria, haustoria that 

form in the absence of host-derived factors, was 

monitored in Triphysaria pusilla. Triphysaria 

rarely form haustoria when grown alone or with 

conspecific plants, suggestive of a mechanism 

for self-recognition and avoidance of selfparasitism. 

Propensity to form autohaustoria 

showed a strong positive correlation with degree 

of anthocyanin pigmentation. GA3 pre-treatment 

of seeds obtained from high and low anthocyanin 

parents leads to a significant and unexpected 

increase in autohaustoria formation for both 

groups. Results suggest that high anthocyanin 

plants may be self-inducing via exuded 

flavonoids and that plant hormones, particularly 

auxin and gibberellin, may be involved in 

regulating self-recognition and autohaustorium 

development in root parasitic plants. 

Transcript accumulation of three genes was 

assayed in variant Triphysaria populations. Two 

genes, TvQR1 and TvQR2, encode putative 

quinone oxidoreductases and one, TvPirin, 

encodes a nuclear transcription factor involved in 

cell cycle regulation. TvQR1 performs a oneelectron 

reduction of quinone to semiquinone, 

and was positively correlated to haustorium 

development. TvQR2 performs a two-electron 

reduction of quinone to phenolic acid and was 

correlated to DMBQ induction, though not 

haustorium development. TvPirin was also 

correlated to DMBQ induction, but not 

haustorium development. Results support the 

proposed redox cycling model of semiquinoneinduced 

haustorium development in the 

Orobanchaceae. 

Cinzia Costantino (PhD Università degli 

Studi, Genova, July 2003) Experiments with 

in vitro growth of Scurrula pulverulenta G. 

Don (plant parasite of woody-plant species 

widely distributed in sub-tropical areas). (in 

Italian) 

The study involved in vitro culture of the hemiparasitic 

plant Scurrula pulverulenta G.Don 

(Loranthaceae), grown from in vitro germinated 

seeds, without any growth regulators (exogenous 

hormones), and followed the development of 

shoots, leaves and haustorial strands. In the 

optimum medium numerous new shoots grew 

close to the chlorophyllous hypocotylar region. 

These were excised in the second year taking 

particular care to preserve some of the 

undifferentiated callus. Cultures involving 

different hosts revealed that the haustorium 

penetrated the host by cellular lysis, allowing the 

haustorium to penetrate further by mechanical 

means into the inner tissues. The host Genista 

monosperma Lam. responded to the penetration 

by producing a pink callus but still allowed 

penetration to the central stele and suffered 

damage. In the case of the host Citrus auriantum 

L. there was also progressive sub-cortical growth 

of the haustorium in the stem. 

S. pulverulenta grown on a nutrient medium with 

cellulose, without a host, but with the addition of 

a Viscum album extract, showed abundant 

development of self-regenerating chlorophyllous 

callus originating from the site of cotylar fusion 

in the embryo. Furthermore, this callus and the 

hypoctyl callus also showed consolidated callus 

leading to the development of pseudo-xylem 

tissue, lignin-like material, lining the culture 

tubes. Addition of the Viscum extract was 

conducive to more vigorous growth, including 

development of the epidermis and most 

noticeably, of the powdery surface responsible 

for the specific name ‘pulverulenta’. After 3 

years in in vitro culture, S. pulverulenta is 

observed to produce a thin web of viscin and to 

show full vegetative vigour. Electron microscope 

study of the epidermis in field-grown plants 

revealed the presence of Lactobacillus sp. inside 

pedunculate hairs in the form of a three-pointed 

star. 

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S. pulverulenta spreads freely in its native 

habitats in sub-tropical regions, while in the 

Mediterranean area it only spreads as a result of 

the sporadic activity of birds or deliberate 

transfer by researchers. It is suggested that S. 

pulverulenta may be a useful indicator of climate 

change since the amount of fruiting is noted to be 

closely correlated to temperature and rainfall. 

It is also suggested that improved techniques for 

in vitro culture could be welcome as the cytotoxic 

effects from extracts of this species on 

tumour cells (Ascites-test Yoshida) compare 

favourably with the standard extract (Hiscia 

Iscador ®) prepared from Viscum album L.. 

Other comparisons by Drs Urech and Schaller of 

leaf and pseudo-berry extracts of S. pulverulenta 

with the standard extract (Hiscia Iscador ®) 

obtained from V. album also suggest similar antitumour 

activity. 

Finally, chromatographic studies of extracts from 

S. pulverulenta show differences depending on 

the host plant, confirming interaction between 

host and hemi-parasite resulting in differences of 

biochemical compounds in the extracts. 

Anat Reizelman-Lucassen (PhD, University of 

Nijmegen, 4 November, 2003) Synthesis and 

function of germination stimulants for seeds 

of the parasitic weeds Striga and Orobanche 

spp. (Supervision: Professor Binne 

Zwanenburg) 

This thesis reviews the synthetic methods used in 

the synthesis of strigol and other strigolactones. 

All 8 stereoisomers of strigol were prepared and 

their activity compared. ‘Natural’ strigol was by 

far the most active, by a factor of at least 100 

compared with most others. 

An efficient synthesis of (+/-) orobanchol is 

reported; also new improved methods for GR7, 

GR24 and Nijmegen-1, based on a palladiumcatalyzed 

asymmetric coupling 

The remainder of the thesis is devoted to studies 

aimed at the isolation and identification of the 

strigolactone receptor with the help of a biotinlabelled 

strigolactone analogue (amino-GR-24), 

affinity chromatography, immobilized avidin or 

streptavidin, and fluorescence correlation 

spectroscopy. The presence of a strigolactone 

specific binding protein (SPLB) in the insoluble 

membrane fractions of Striga seeds was shown 

by a dot-blot analysis. Preliminary results with 

SDS-PAGE showed an enrichment of a 60kDa 

protein, isolated from these fractions by 

purification. 

Christina Vieira Dos Santos (PhD, University 

of Nantes, France). Molecular aspects of the 

Arabidopsis thaliana response infected by the 

obligate root parasite Orobanche ramosa. 

(Supervision: Philippe Delavault and Patrick 

Thalouarn, Groupe de Physiologie et 

Pathologie Végétales) (in French) 

The infection of Arabidopsis thaliana roots with 

the holoparasite Orobanche ramosa represents a 

useful model for a molecular study of the host 

plant response to a parasitic plant attack. Thus, 

we developed an in vitro co-culture system, 

allowing us an investigation by PCR 

amplification methods of the expression of some 

host genes already known to be involved in 

plant/pathogen interactions: ethylene, isoprenoid, 

phenylpropanoid, and jasmonate pathways, 

oxidative stress responses and PR proteins. A 

non-targeted study based on a suppression 

subtractive hybridization strategy was also used 

to identify genes that were induced two hours 

after placing O. ramosa seeds near A. thaliana 

roots. Infestation will not start before the seventh 

day. The kinetic gene expression was assayed 

from 1h to 7 days after O. ramosa germinations 

were placed. Proteins encoded by these genes are 

also involved in A. thaliana defence pathways: 

signal transduction, pectin methylesterase 

inhibition, detoxification of reactive oxygen 

species, jasmonate-dependent pathway and cell 

wall reinforcement. From these studies, no 

salicylic acid-dependent defence has been 

detected whereas jasmonate- and ethylenedependent 

pathways were induced. 

Related papers : 

Vieira Dos Santos C., Letousey P., Delavault P. 

and Thalouarn P., 2003. Defence gene 

expression analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana 

parasitized by Orobanche ramosa. 

Phytopathology, 93:451-457 

And Santos et al. 2003 – in Literature section 

below. 

Aurélie Rousset (PhD, University of Nantes, 

France) Contribution to the chemical control 

of the parasitic and mannitol-producing 

plants. Identification and characterization of 

in vitro inhibitors of mannose 6-phosphate 

reductase and study of their activity on 

simplified biological models (protoplasts and 

5


calli). (Supervision: Philippe Delavault and 

Patrick Thalouarn, Groupe de Physiologie et 

Pathologie Végétales) (in French) 

The strategy based on the inhibition of mannose 

6-phosphate reductase (M6PR), the key enzyme 

of mannitol production, could be efficient against 

Striga and Orobanche. Some aromatic and 

phosphorylated compounds inhibit competitively 

M6PR in vitro and protoplasts and callus culture 

were obtained from Striga leaves to estimate 

their activity on simple models. Protoplasts and 

calli kept mannitol synthesis as a major pathway, 

as shown by the analysis of their carbon fluxes, 

carbohydrate patterns and M6PR activities. In a 

similar proportion as in leaves, a significant part 

of the photosynthetically fixed 14C is 

incorporated into mannitol in protoplasts. Calli 

were much less active in photosynthesis but 

synthesized mannitol from exogenous sucrose or 

mannose. In presence of M6PR inhibitor, carbon 

fluxes towards soluble carbohydrates, notably 

mannitol, were reduced in treated protoplasts and 

calli. 

Related paper : 

Rousset et al. 2002. in Literature section below. 

PROCEEDINGS OF MEETINGS 

7th EWRS (European Weed Research 

Society) Mediterranean Symposium, Adana, 

Turkey, 2003. The Proceedings of this meeting 

are not yet published but should be available 

from the EWRS web site (www.ewrs.org) 

bookshop before long. The following are 

selected titles relating to parasitic plants, which 

will be published in the form of 2-page abstracts. 

Manschadi A.M.et al. - Development of a 

systems approach for ecological management 

of parasitic weeds in legume-based 

Mediterranean cropping systems. 

Grenz J. et al. - Identification of optimum 

sowing strategies for faba bean infested with 

the parasitic weed Orobanche crenata in the 

Cukurova region, Turkey. Predictions from 

simulation studies. 

Nemli Y. et al. - Problems caused by broomrape 

(Orobanche spp.) and some control methods. 

Review and results. 

Goran, M. et al. - Weed and broomrape 

(Orobanche cernua) control in Clearfield 

sunflower. 

Orel-Aksoy E. and Uygur F.N. - Distribution of 

Orobanche spp. in the East Mediterranean 

region of Turkey. 

Demirci M. et al. - Effect of soil temperature on 

Orobanche cernua Loeffl. growing stages 

and control strategies. 

COST Action 849 Meeting: Biology and 

control of broomrape. October 30-November 

2, Athens, Greece. Abstracts of this meeting are 

available on the COST web-site (see below). 

Titles were as follows: 

Sauerborn, J. - Parasitic flowering plants – from 

botanical curiosity to antibiosis. 

Cubero, J.I. - Phylogeny of the genus Orobanche 

inferred from cpDNA sequence variation. 

Fer, A. - Experimental data strongly suggest the 

existence of several pathovars in Orobanche 

ramosa L. 

Verkleij, J.A.C. et al. - Assessing genetic 

variability in Striga hermonthica and S. 

aspera by RAPD and SCAR analysis. 

Delavault, P. et al. - Defense gene expression in 

host roots infected by Orobanche species. 

Press, M.C. - Biology and control of parasitic 

weeds: Striga and Orobanche. 

Bouwmeester, H. et al. - Germination of 

broomrape seeds. 

Wegmann, K. - Recent experience in Orobanche 

control by suicide germination. 

Matusova, R. et al. Changes in the sensitivity of 

parasitic weed seeds to germination 

stimulants. 

Joel, D.M. - Sanitation and quarantine policies 

need to be adopted in Europe. 

Murdoch, A.J. - Evaluating integrated 

management strategies for Orobanche and 

Striga. 

Slavov, S. et al. - Chlorsulfuron resistant 

transgenic tobacco as a tool for broomrape 

control. 

Kotoula-Syka, E. - Orobanche ramosa control in 

tomato. 

Montemurro, P. and Lasorella, C. - Control of 

Orobanche ramosa by glyphosate in tomato. 

Cagán, L. and Tóth, P. - Impact of Orobanche 

ramosa to the yield of tomato fruits in the 

southwest of Slovakia. 

Vouzounis, N. - Control of Orobanche sp. in 

melon and watermelon crops in Cyprus. 

Nadal, S. et al. Control of broomrape 

(Orobanche crenata Forsk.) in narbon bean 

(Vicia narbonensis L) by glyphosate. 

Pacureanu-Joiþa, M. and Procopovici, E. - 

Broomrape control in Romania. 

6


Rubiales, D. et al. - Integrated control of crenate 

broomrape in pea. 

Vurro, M. - Toxins from pathogens of parasitic 

plants. 

Gressel, J. - So what if transgenic hypervirulence 

changes host range of a biocontrol agent? We 

need not jump to conclusions. 

Dor, E. - The efficacy of a mixture of fungi to 

control Egyptian and sunflower broomrape. 

Zermane1, N. et al. - Natural antagonists of 

Orobanche spp. in Tunisia with potential as 

biocontrol agents 

Tóth, P. and Cagán, L. - Natural enemies of 

dodders (Cuscuta spp.) in Slovakia. 

WEB SITES 

For information on the International Parasitic 

Plant Society see: http://www.ppws.vt.edu/IPPS/ 

For past and current issues of Haustorium see: 

http://web.odu.edu/haustorium 

For Dan Nickrent’s ‘The Parasitic Plant 

Connection’ see: 

http://www.science.siu.edu/parasiticplants/index.html 

For The Mistletoe Center (including a 

comprehensive Annotated Bibliography on 

mistletoes) see: 

http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/misteltoe/welcome.htm 

l 

For on-line access to USDA Forest Service 

Agriculture Handbook 709 ‘Dwarf Mistletoes: 

Biology, Pathology and Systematics’ see: 

http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/publications/ah_709/ 

For information on activities and publications of 

the parasitic weed group at the University of 

Hohenheim see: http://www.unihohenheim.de/~www380/parasite/start.htm 

For information on, and to subscribe to, PpDigest 

see: 

http://omnisterra.com/mailman/listinfo/pp_omnis 

terra.com 

For information on the EU COST 849 Project 

and reports of its meetings see: 

http://cost849.ba.cnr.it/ 

For the Parasitic Plants Database, including 

‘4000 entries giving an exhaustive nomenclatural 

synopsis of all parasitic plants’ the address is: 

http://www.omnisterra.com/bot/pp_home.cgi 

For a description and other information about the 

Desmodium technique for Striga suppression, 

see: http://www.push-pull.net 

For information on EC-funded project ‘Improved 

Striga control in maize and sorghum (ISCIMAS) 

see: http://www.plant.dlo.nl/projects/Striga/ 

For brief articles on Striga in New Agriculturist 

on-line see: http://www.new-agri.co.uk/04- 

1/focuson/focuson5.html 

LITERATURE 

Abunyewa, A.A. and Padi, F. K. 2003. Changes 

in soil fertility and Striga hermonthica 

prevalence associated with legume and cereal 

cultivation in the Sudan savannah zone of 

Ghana. Land Degradation & Development 

14: 335-343. (Growing soyabean or bambara 

nuts in place of bush fallow provided benefits 

in terms of soil fertility and Striga 

infestation.) 

Adler, L.S. 2002. Host effects on herbivory and 

pollination in a hemiparasitic plant. Ecology 

83: 2700-2710. (Further exploration of the 

complex interactions between Castilleja 

indivisa and Lupinus albus referred to in the 

next item.) 

Adler, L.S., Karban, R. and Strauss, S.Y. 2001. 

Direct and indirect effects of alkaloids on 

plant fitness via herbivory and pollination. 

Ecology 82: 2032-2044. (Studies with 

Castilleja indivisa on Lupinus albus with 

varying alkaloid content +/- insecticide 

application confirmed that alkaloid reduced 

predation of C. indivisa without interfering 

with pollination.) 

Ahonsi, M.O., Berner, D.K., Emechebe, A.M., 

Sanginga, N. and Lagoke, S.T.O. 2002. 

Selection of non-pathogenic ethyleneproducing 

rhizobacteria for accelerated 

depletion of Striga hermonthica seed bank. 

African Crop Science Journal 10(2): 145-156. 

(Three strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. 

glycinea shown to have caused high 

germination of S. hermonthica; but gene 

modification may be needed to reduce risk of 

pathogenicity to crops.) 

Ahonsi, M.O., Berner, D.K., Emechebe, A.M., 

Lagoke, S.T. and Sanginga, N. 2003. 

Potential of ethylene-producing 

7


pseudomonads in combination with effective 

N2-fixing bradyrhizobial strains as 

supplements to legume rotation for Striga 

hermonthica control. Biological Control 28: 

1-10. (Inoculation of cowpea or soyabean 

with the ethylene-producing Pseudomonas 

syringae pv. glycinea and N-fixing 

Bradyrhizobia japonicum enhanced their 

trap-crop effect.) 

Al-Hussein, N., Bayaa, B. and Erskine, W. 2002. 

Integrated management of lentil broomrape, 

1. Sowing date and chemical treatments. 

Arab Journal of Plant Protection 20(2): 84- 

92. (Delaying the sowing date and applying 

imazapic and imazethapyr resulted in 97-98% 

control of ‘Orobanche spp.’ in lentil.) 

Anderson, R.L. 2003. Changing forests and 

forest management policy in relation to 

dealing with forest diseases. Phytopathology 

93: 1041-1043. (Including reference to 

mistletoes.) 

Aukema, J.E. and Rio, C.M. dell 2002. Where 

does a fruit-eating bird deposit mistletoe 

seeds? Seed deposition patterns and an 

experiment. Ecology 83: 3489-3496. (Finding 

that the bird Phainopepla nitens deposited 

most seeds of Phoradendron californicum 

into Prosopis velutina which was already 

mistletoe-infested.) 

Bako, M.L., Gulyas, A., Hegedus, Z., 

Szekrenyes, G. and Tuske-Bano, E. 2003. 

(Population studies in race-differentiating 

sunflower varieties with sunflower 

broomrape (Orobanche cernua 

Loefl./Orobanche cumana Wallr.) collected 

from the region of Bacsalmas.) (in 

Hungarian) Novenyvedelem 39: 429-436. 

Babalola, O.O., Osir, E.O and; Sanni, A.I. 2002. 

Characterization of potential ethyleneproducing 

rhizosphere bacteria of Strigainfested 

maize and sorghum. African Journal 

of Biotechnology 1(2): 67-69. (Three 

rhizosphere bacteria, Pseudomonas sp., 

Enterobacter sakazakii and Klebsiella 

oxytoca, were analysed for genetic variation. 

DNA fingerprint patterns of the three bacteria 

were markedly different.) 

Babalola, O.O., Osir, E.O., Sanni, A.I., 

Odhiambo, G.D. and Bulimo, W.D. 2003. 

Amplification of 1-amino-cyclopropane-1carboxylic 

(ACC) deaminase from plant 

growth promoting rhizobacteria in Strigainfested 

soil. African Journal of 

Biotechnology 2,(6): 157-160. (Providing the 

first report of ACC deaminase in Klebsiella 

oxytoca ) 

Bar Nun, N. et al. – see Nun, N.B. et al. 

Benharrat, H., Boulet, C., Veronesi, C. and 

Thalouarn, P. 2003. (An overview of ongoing 

laboratory and field studies carried out on 

Orobanche ramosa: a pest for rape seed, 

hemp and tobacco.) (in French) 

Phytoma.564: 24-26. (A review of current 

research activity.) 

Berner, D.K., Sauerborn, J., Hess, D.E. and 

Emechebe, A.M. 2002. The role of biological 

control in integrated management of Striga 

species in Africa. Neuenschwander, P., 

Borgemeister, C. and Langewald, J. (eds) 

Biological control in IPM systems in Africa, 

pp. 259-276. (Discussing the role of 

biological control agents, especially plant 

pathogenic fungi and bacteria.) 

Beuth, J. 2003. (Evidence-based complementary 

therapy measures in carcinoma of the breast.) 

(in German) Medizin 32(1): 21-24. 

(Concluding that ‘although complementary 

treatments cannot replace the standard 

oncological therapies for breast cancer…. 

treatments with mistletoe extracts are also of 

value.) 

Bouwmeester, H.J., Matusova, R., Sun Zhongkui 

and Beale, M.H. 2003. Secondary metabolite 

signalling in host-parasitic plant interactions. 

Current Opinions in Plant Biology 6: 358- 

364. (Reviewing recent literature on 

germination stimulants and the analytic 

techniques involved; also the potential for the 

use of ‘model’ plants such as Arabidopsis in 

the study of stimulant biosynthesis and the 

possibilities for manipulation of germination 

stimulant production in crops.) 

Brand, J.E. 2002. Review of the influence of 

Acacia species on establishment of 

sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) in Western 

Australia. In: Maslin, B.R. and George, A.S. 

(eds) Conservation Science Western 

Australia 4(3): 125-129. (A successful 

establishment technique involves planting S. 

spicatum seeds near 1-2 year old Acacia 

acuminata seedlings. Other Acacia spp. vary 

in suitability. Allocasuarina huegeliana is 

less suitable than A. acuminata, while 

planting close to Eucalyptus loxophleba 

results in seedling death.) 

Braun, J.M., Ko, H.L., Schierholz, J.M. and 

Beuth, J. 2002. Standardized mistletoe extract 

augments immune response and downregulates 

local and metastatic tumor growth 

in murine models. Anticancer Research 

22(6C): 4187-4190. 

8


Briemle, G. and Ruck, K. 2003. (Poisonous 

plants in pastures for horses....keep a lookout 

for them.) (in German) Fachpraxis 43: 14-18. 

(Rhinanthus spp. listed among toxic species.) 

Campbell, S., Azuma, D. and Weyermann, D. 

2003. Forests of Eastern Oregon: an 

overview. General Technical Report - Pacific 

Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest 

Service No.PNW-GTR-578, 31 pp. 

(Including reference to Arceuthobium spp.) 

Carsky, R.J., Akakpo, C., Singh, B.B. and 

Detongnon, J. 2003. Cowpea yield gain from 

resistance to Striga gesnerioides parasitism in 

Southern Benin. Experimental Agriculture 

39: 327-333. (IITA breeding line IT93KZ-4- 

5-6-1-5 has shown complete resistance to S. 

gesnerioides at more than 20 field sites in S. 

Benin and given mean yields over 150% 

greater than susceptible varieties.) 

Christensen, N.M., Dörr, I., Hansen, M., Kooij, 

T.A.W. van der and Schulz, A. 2003. 

Development of Cuscuta species on a 

partially incompatible host: induction of 

xylem transfer cells. Protoplasma 220(3/4): 

131-142. (C. reflexa and C. japonica growing 

on the incompatible host Euphorbia 

pulcherrima develop xylem transfer cells, not 

seen on a compatible host; suggesting that 

Cuscuta spp. have this genetic ability, elicited 

in response to developmental stress.) 

Cooke, D. 2002. Control of Branched 

Broomrape. A literature review. Adelaide, 

Australia: Department of Water, Land and 

Biodiversity Conservation. 39 pp. (Including 

Appendix: A comparison of techniques to 

reduce the soil seedbank of branched 

boomrape, by J. Virtue and P. Jupp.) 

Daugherty, C.M. and Mathiasen, R.L. 2003. 

Estimates of the incidence of mistletoes in 

pinyon-juniper woodlands of the Coconino 

National Forest, Arizona. Western North 

American Naturalist 63: 382-390. (About 

50% of the woodlands surveyed were 

infested with Phoradendron juniperinum or 

P. capitellatum but only 12% with 

Arceuthobium divaricatum occurring on 

pinyon Pinus spp.) 

Deng Xiong, Feng HuiLing, Ye WanHui, Yang 

QiHe, Xu KaiYang, CaoHongLin and Fu 

Qiang 2003. (A study on the control of exotic 

weed Mikania micrantha by using parasitic 

Cuscuta campestris.) (in Chinese) Journal of 

Tropical and Subtropical Botany 11: 117- 

122. (C. campestris could spread up to 5 m 

within 2 months and inhibited the growth and 

development of M. micrantha.) 

DeNitto, G. 2002. Montana: forest insect and 

disease conditions and program: 2001. Forest 

Health Protection Report - Northern Region, 

USDA Forest Service, No.02-1, 41 pp. 

(Including estimated losses from 

Arceuthobium spp.) 

Dubrovsky, J.G. 2002. Tumorous malformations 

in natural populations of Pachycereus and its 

association with mistletoe. Cactaceas y 

Suculentas Mexicanas 47(3): 48-56. (A study 

suggesting that Phoradendron diguetianum, 

although often associated with galls on 

Pachycereus, Stenocereus and Opuntia spp., 

is not their cause.) 

Dugenci, S.K., Arda, N. and Candan, A. 2003. 

Some medicinal plants as immunostimulant 

for fish. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 88: 

99-106. (Extracts of Viscum album included 

in studies on Oncorhynchus mykiss but were 

not active.) 

Dzerefos, C.M., Witkowski, E.T.F. and 

Shackleton, C.M. 2003. Host-preference and 

density of woodrose-forming mistletoes 

(Loranthaceae) on savanna vegetation, South 

Africa. Plant Ecology 167: 163-177. 

(Erianthemum dregei and Pedistylis galpinii 

each had many hosts but Sclerocarya birrea 

was the most favoured and there was 

negative correlation between host preference 

and host wood density. P. galpinii has the 

higher market value.) 

Eizenberg, H., Colquohoun, J.B. and Mallory- 

Smith, C.A. 2003. Weed Science 51: 759- 

763. (14 varieties of Trifolium pratense were 

highly susceptible to O. minor; 7 varieties of 

T. repens allowed many attachments but few 

developed normally and there was little host 

damage; 2 varieties of T. incarnatum were 

apparently immune in this study.). 

El-Sayed, N.E., Abd-Elkrim, M.A., El-Aref, 

H.M., Taghian, A.S. and El-Lithy, R.E. 2003. 

Selection and molecular characterization of 

faba bean lines resistant to broomrape 

(Orobanche crenata Forsk). Assiut Journal of 

Agricultural Sciences 34(1): 165-180. 

(Crosses among Giza Blanca, Giza 402, and 

Giza 674 produced plants with enhanced 

parasite resistance and host seed yield. PCR- 

RAPD markers were identified that 

correlated with the resistance trait.) 

Ensbey, R. and Blackmore, P. 2003. Serious 

weed threats to NSW - your legal obligations 

for W1 weeds. Agnote - NSW Agriculture 

No.DPI-451(1st Edition), 6 pp. (Including 

Orobanche spp. among 14 species classified 

as W1 Noxious.) 

9


Ernst, E., Schmidt, K. and Steuer-Vogt, M.K. 

2003. Mistletoe for cancer? A systematic 

review of randomised clinical trials. 

International Journal of Cancer.107: 262-267. 

(Conclusions from a critical analysis of 10 

published studies concluded that none of the 

methodologically stronger trials exhibited 

efficacy in terms of quality of life, survival or 

other outcome measures. Sadly ‘rigorous 

trials of mistletoe extracts fail to demonstrate 

efficacy of this therapy’.) 

Fan Jiang, Jeschke, W.D. and Hartung, W. 2003. 

Water flows in the parasitic association 

Rhinanthus minor/Hordeum vulgare. Journal 

of Experimental Botany 54: 1985-1993. 

(Confirming that stomata of R. minor remain 

open day and night despite high levels of 

ABA, while those of Melampyrum arvense 

do not. Studies showed that R. minor 

extracted 20% of the water taken up by the 

host. Response of the host involved 

decreased shoot growth but somewhat 

increased root development.) 

Fayed, M.T.B., Hamdi, A., Samia, A.M. and 

Shaaban, M. 2002. Performance of 

Orobanche control treatments in faba bean 

crop. Egyptian Journal of Agricultural 

Research 80: 753-769. (Comparing a range of 

treatments involving late sowing, glyphosate 

application, integrated control, non-chemical 

integrated control, and the tolerant cv. Giza 

429.) 

Foley, M.J.Y. 2003. Orobanche hirtiflora subsp. 

zosimii M.J.Y. Foley (Orobanchaceae), a new 

subspecies from Cyprus. Candollea 58(1): 

83-95. 

Frost, A., López-Gutiérrez, J.C. and Purrington, 

C.B. 2003. Fitness of Cuscuta salina 

(Convolvulaceae) grown under different 

salinity regimes. American Journal of Botany 

90: 1032-1037. (It is postulated that 

distribution of C. salina may be dictated 

more by the salt status of the host than by the 

soil type, but experiments involving the host 

Beta vulgaris grown on varying levels of salt 

failed to give clear confirmation of this.). 

Ganeshaiah, K.N., Shaanker, R.U. and Bawa, 

K.S. 2001. Theme I: Global change and 

tropical forest ecosystems. Economic 

valuation of natural resources: local and 

global perspectives. In Ganeshaiah, K.N., 

Shaanker, R.U. and Bawa, K.S. (eds) 

Proceedings of the International Conference 

on Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity 

and Human Welfare, Banglore, India, July 

10 

2001, pp. 29-52. (Including a section on 

silviculture of Santalum album.) 

Garkoti, S.C., Akoijam, S.B. and Singh, S.P. 

2002. Ecology of water relations between 

mistletoe (Taxillus vestitus ) and its host oak 

(Quercus floribunda). Tropical Ecology 43: 

243-249. (Measurements of water potential in 

host and parasite demonstrate a constant 

differential between the two, with the parasite 

always lower than its host.) 

Gbèhounou, G., Pieterse, A.H. and Verkleij, 

J.A.C. 2003. Longevity of Striga seeds 

reconsidered: results of a study on purple 

witchweed (Striga hermonthica) in Bénin. 

Weed Science 51: 940-946. (Studies with 

seeds buried in nylon gauze bags suggest 

rapid loss of viability during the rainy season 

in northern Bénin and no wet dormancy. But 

note Mourik et al., below, suggesting an 

effect of seed density which could affect this 

type of study.) 

Gibot-Leclerc, S., Brault, M., Pinochet, X. and 

Sallé, G. 2003. (Potential role of winter rape 

weeds in the extension of broomrape in 

Poitou-Charentes.) (in French). Comptes 

Rendus Biologies.326: 645-658. (50% of the 

weeds of winter rape could be parasitized by 

Orobanche ramosa.) 

Gibot-Leclerc, S., Brault, M. and Salle, G. 2003. 

(Orobanche ramosa: a true pest for various 

crops in France.) (in French) Phytoma 561: 9- 

12. (O. ramosa is continuing to spread in 

France and is now present in 20 of the 96 

departments, affecting tobacco and hemp as 

well as rape.) 

Gilmore, A.M., Matsubara, S., Ball, M.C., 

Barker, D.H. and Itoh, S. 2003. Excitation 

energy flow at 77 K in the photosynthetic 

apparatus of overwintering evergreens. Plant, 

Cell and Environment 26: 1021-1034. 

(Results with Amyema miquelii on 

Eucalyptus pauciflora are consistent with a 

functional association between the cold-hardband 

of chlorophyll a spectra, PSII energy 

dissipation, and protective storage of 

chlorophyll in overwintering evergreens.) 

Godfree, R.C., Tinnin, R.O. and Forbes, R.B. 

2003. Relationships between dwarf mistletoe 

and the canopy structure of an old-growth 

lodgepole pine forest in central Oregon. 

Canadian Journal of Forest Research 33: 997- 

1009. (Stands of Pinus contorta heavily 

infested by Arceuthobium americanum 

contained fewer large but many more small 

trees than lightly infested stands.)


Gotts, R.I.C. and Ginn, S.G. 2003. The 

previously undescribed female of Delias 

shunichii Morita (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from 

New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Australian 

Entomologist 30(1): 1-4. (The larvae are 

believed to feed on Loranthaceae.) 

Gworgwor, N.A. 2002. The use of legume trap 

crops for control of Striga hermonthica (Del.) 

Benth. in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. 

Moench) in Northern Nigeria. Mededelingen 

- Faculteit Landbouwkundige en Toegepaste 

Biologische Wetenschappen, Universiteit 

Gent 67(3): 421-430. (Confirming the 

potential of groundnut and bambara to reduce 

numbers of S. hermonthica, especially when 

planted as alternate hills rather than in 

alternate rows.) 

Gworgwor, N.A. 2003. Resistance of sorghum 

varieties to Striga hermonthica. Tropical 

Science 43(1): 48-52. (Local varieties Ex- 

Dapchi and Idon Makaho in Nigeria showed 

evidence of tolerance to S. hermonthica.) 

Haas, K., Bauer, M. and Wollenweber, E. 2003. 

Cuticular waxes and flavonol aglycones of 

mistletoes. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. 

Section C, Biosciences 58: 464-470. (Neither 

the crystalloid structures nor the chemical 

composition of the wax allowed 

discrimination between Viscum album and V. 

cruciatum.) 

Haidar, M.A. 2003. Characterisation of the 

interaction between cryptochromes and 

phytochromes in blue light-induced coiling 

and prehaustoria development of dodder 

(Cuscuta campestris) seedlings. Annals of 

Applied Biology 143: 57-62. 

Hirsch, A.M., Bauer, W.D., Bird, D.M., 

Cullimore, J., Tyler, B. and Yoder, J.I. 2003. 

Molecular signals and receptors: controlling 

rhizosphere interactions between plants and 

other organisms. Ecology 84: 858-868. 

(Including a section on germination and 

haustorial stimulants in parasitic plants.) 

Hunter, J.T. 2003. Factors affecting range size 

differences for plant species on rock outcrops 

in eastern Australia. Diversity and 

Distributions 9(3): 211-220. (Hemi-parasites 

apparently contribute to greater species range 

sizes.) 

Hyun JinO, Lim Yongseok and Shin Hyunchur 

2003. Validation of Orobanche filicicola 

(Orobanchaceae) from Korea. Novon, 2003 

13(1): 64-67. 

Idris, A.E., Abouzeid, M.A., Boari, A., Vurro, 

M. and Evidente, A. 2003. Identification of 

phytotoxic metabolites of a new Fusarium sp. 

11 

inhibiting germination of Striga hermonthica 

seeds. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 42(1): 

65-70. 

Idu, M., Begho, E.R. and Akpaja, E.O. 2002. 

Anatomy of attachment of the root parasite 

Thonningia sanguinea Vahl. on Hevea 

brasiliensis. Indian Journal of Natural Rubber 

Research 15(1) 33-35. (Detailed observations 

on T. sanguinea, damaging to rubber in 

Nigeria.) 

INTSORMIL 2002. Bibliography - 

INTSORMIL, 1984-2002: fighting hunger 

and poverty with research, a team effort. 

International Sorghum and Millet 

Collaborative Research Program. 237 pp. 

(Including INTSORMIL articles on Striga.) 

Joita, M.P., Procopovici, E. and Raranciuc, S. 

2002. Sunflower breeding for resistance to 

the new races of broomrape (Orobanche 

cumana Wallr.) in Romania. In: Taborsky, 

V., Polak, J., Lebeda, A. and Kudela, V. (eds) 

Plant Protection Science 38(Special 2): 604- 

607. (Demonstrating the existence of a new 

race F, and corresponding dominant 

resistance gene Or6.) 

Joshi, S.K. and Sanjay Gairola 2003. Cuscuta 

europaea Linn. (dodder plant): an emerging 

threat to plant diversity of Valley of Flowers. 

Current Science 84: 1285-1286. (Hosts in 

Uttah Pradesh include medicinal plants 

Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Gentianella 

moorcroftiana, Swertia paniculata, Selinum 

tenuifolium and Potentilla spp.) 

Kanampiu, F., Friesen, D. and Gressel, J. 2003. 

A new approach to Striga control. Pesticide 

Outlook 14(2): 51-53. (A general review of 

recent developments including seed-coating 

with imazapyr or pyrithiobac and new locally 

adapted, herbicide-resistant, open-pollinated 

maize cultivars.) 

Kanampiu, F.K., Kabambe, V., Massawe, C., 

Jasi, L., Friesen, D., Ransom, J.K. and 

Gressel, J. 2003. Multi-site, multi-season 

field tests demonstrate that herbicide-coating 

herbicide-resistance maize controls Striga 

spp and increases yields in several African 

countries. Crop Protection 22: 697-706. 

(Tests with imazapyr and pyrithiobac on over 

90 sites in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and 

Zimbabwe gave excellent control of S. 

hermonthica and S. asiatica and showed 

increased yields up to 4-fold on heavily 

infested sites.) 

Krause, K., Berg, S. and Krupinska, K. 2003. 

Plastid transcription in the holoparasitic plant 

genus Cuscuta: parallel loss of the rrn16


PEP-promoter and of the rpoA and rpoB 

genes coding for the plastid-encoded RNA 

polymerase. Planta 216: 815-823. (Three 

achlorophyllous species, C. odorata, C. 

subinclusa, and C. gronovii, lack promoters 

for the plastid-encoded RNA polymerase but 

contain motifs similar to a nuclear-encoded 

RNA polymerase promoter. This contrasts 

with the chlorophyll-containing C. reflexa, 

which retains the plastid-encoded polymerase 

promoter. Parasitic plants continue to be 

useful in studying the evolution of plastid 

genes and their regulation.) 

Kuchinda, N.C., Kureh, I., Tarfa, B.D., Shinggu, 

C. and Omolehin, R. 2003. On-farm 

evaluation of improved maize varieties 

intercropped with some legumes in the 

control of Striga in the Northern Guinea 

savanna of Nigeria. Crop Protection 22: 533- 

538. (Intercropping the improved varieties 

with either soyabean or groundnut was more 

profitable than the local cultivar grown 

alone.) 

Kuijt, J. 2003. Miscellaneous mistletoe notes, 

37-47. Novon 13(1): 72-88. (Proposing 9 new 

species of Loranthaceae, 2 of Cladocolea, 4 

of Struthanthus and 3 of Dendrophthora.) 

Li XueMei, Pfiz, M., Kuppers, M., Einig, W., 

Rennenberg, H. and Hampp, R. 2003. 

Sucrose phosphate synthase in leaves of 

mistletoe: its regulation in relation to host 

(Abies alba) and season. Trees: Structure and 

Function 17(3): 221-227. (Seasonal changes 

in carbohydrate metabolism in the parasite 

may be tied to availability of sugar in the host 

xylem.) 

Mack, R.N. and Lonsdale, W.M. 2003. 

Eradicating invasive plants: hard-won lessons 

for islands. In: Veitch, C.R. and Clout, M.N. 

(eds) Turning the tide: the eradication of 

invasive species: Proceedings of the 

International Conference on eradication of 

island invasives, pp.164-172. (Using the 

Striga control programme in USA as an 

example of what is possible.) 

Macklin, J. and Parnell, J. 2002. An account of 

the Santalaceae of Thailand. Thai Forest 

Bulletin (Botany) 30: 75-108. (Keys and full 

descriptions for 13 species in 7 genera, 

including some aerial parasities, mostly 

occurring in montane regions on e.g. 

Quercus, Lithocarpus and Vaccinium.) 

Manschadi, A.M., Wang, E., Robertson, M.J., 

Meinke, H. and Sauerborn, J. 2003. 

Development of a parasite module in APSIM 

- case study: the parasitic weed Orobanche 

12 

crenata infesting faba bean. In: Unkovich, 

M. and O'Leary, G. (eds) Solutions for a 

better environment: Proceedings of the 11th 

Australian Agronomy Conference, Geelong, 

Victoria, February 2003, pp.0-4. (The 

parasite module, together with APSIM-Faba 

bean, was capable of predicting the biomass 

accumulation of O. crenata and the yield loss 

of infected faba bean for various infestation 

levels and sowing dates, also under different 

water supply conditions.) 

Marambe, B., Wijesundara, D.S.A., Tennakoon, 

K.U., Peneniya, D. and Jayasinghe, C. 2002. 

Growth and development of Cuscuta 

chinensis Lam. and its impact on selected 

crops. Weed Biology and Management 2: 79- 

83. (In pot experiments ‘C. chinensis’ (just 

possibly C. campestris?) showed greatest 

vigour on tomato causing about 80% 

reduction in dry weight; it was less vigorous 

and caused only 30-40% reduction of chilli; 

and it failed to parasitize rice. Germination 

was increased by scarification.) 

Maurer, W.D. 2003. (Dendroecological research 

on silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) stands 

damaged by mistletoe (Viscum album).) (in 

German) Mitteilüngen aus der 

Forschungsanstalt für Waldokologie und 

Forstwirtschaft Rheinland-Pfalz 50(3) 161- 

170. (Analysing attack by mistletoe under 

varying climate, soil, stand structure, and 

atmospheric deposition.) 

Millot, M. 2002. (Forest renewal one century 

after reforestation with black pines of 

badlands in the Haute-Provence.) (in French) 

Comptes rendus de l'Academie d'Agriculture 

de France 88(6): 59-68. (With reference to 

Viscum album as a factor in growing Pinus 

nigra.) 

Mohamed, A., Ellicott, A., Housley, T.L. and 

Ejeta, G. 2003. Hypersensitive response to 

Striga infection in Sorghum. Crop Science 

43: 1320-1324. (Characterising the hypersensitive 

response (HR) in varieties Framida 

and Dobbs and in the wild accession P47121. 

HR in P47121 proved heritable. Genotypes 

SRN-39, IS9830, and 555 had low stimulant 

activity but no HR. Framida had both 

characters.) 

Mooney, K.A. 2003. Promylea lunigerella 

glendella Dyar (Pyralidae) feeds on both 

conifers and parasitic dwarf mistletoe 

(Arceuthobium spp.): one example of food 

plant shifting between parasitic plants and 

their hosts. Journal of the Lepidopterists' 

Society 57: 47-53. (Feeding noted on both


Arceuthobium vaginatum and on Pinus 

ponderosa. Comparisons made with 

Dasypyga alternosquamella, a closely related 

phycitine, also feeding on Arceuthobium at 

this site.) 

Morlon-Guyot, J., Helmy, M., Lombard-Frasca, 

S., Pignol, D., Pieroni, G. and Beaumelle, B. 

2003. Identification of the ricin lipase site 

and implication in cytotoxicity. Journal of 

Biological Chemistry 278: 17006-17011. 

Mourik, T.A. van, Stomph, T.J and Westerman, 

P.R. 2003. Estimating Striga hermonthica 

seed mortality under field conditions. In: 

Bekker, R.M., Forcella, F., Grundy, A.C., 

,Jones, N.E., Marshall, E.J.P. and Murdoch, 

A.J. (eds) Aspects of Applied Biology 69: 

187-194. (Loss of viability under field 

conditions in Mali was less in sterilised soil, 

and when seed density was lower.) 

Murdoch, A.J. and Kunjo, E.M. 2003. Depletion 

of natural soil seedbanks of Striga 

hermonthica in West Africa under different 

integrated management regimes. In: Bekker, 

R.M., Forcella, F. and Grundy, A.C., Jones, 

N.E., Marshall, E.J.P. and Murdoch, A.J. 

(eds) Aspects of Applied Biology 69: 261- 

268. (Depletion of S. hermonthica seeds over 

2 seasons in Gambia was 90% when fertilised 

cotton was grown but only 46% under 

unfertilised sorghum.) 

Mullen, J.D., Taylor, D.B., Fofana, M. and Kebe, 

D. 2003. A bio-economic model of long-run 

Striga control with an application to 

subsistence farming in Mali. International 

Journal of Pest Management 49: 251-264. 

Murwani, R. 2003. Indonesian tea mistletoe 

(Scurrula oortiana) stem extract increases 

tumour cell sensitivity to tumour necrosis 

factor alpha (TNFalpha). Phytotherapy 

Research 17: 407-409. (Confirming that 

extracts of S. oortiana are cytotoxic to the 

WEHI-164 tumour cell line and increase 

tumour cell sensitivity to TNFalpha mediated 

lysis.) 

Musambasi, D., Chivinge, O.A. and Mariga, I.K. 

2002. Intercropping maize with grain 

legumes for Striga control in Zimbabwe. 

African Crop Science Journal 10: 163-171. 

(Intercropping maize with cowpea, 

groundnut, field bean and bambara nut 

caused only partial and unreliable reductions 

in emergence of S. asiatica but there may 

have been small advantages in total crop 

yields.) 

Mutikainen, P. and Koskela, T. 2002. Population 

structure of a parasitic plant and its perennial 

13 

host. Heredity 89: 318-324. (Allozyme 

studies suggested little evidence for coevolution 

of Cuscuta europaea with its host 

Urtica dioica.) 

Nadler-Hassar, T. and Rubin, B. 2003. Natural 

tolerance of Cuscuta campestris to herbicides 

inhibiting amino acid biosynthesis. Weed 

Research 43: 341-347. (C. campestris from 

several different hosts and sources, including 

Israel and USA, also one sample of C. 

monogyna, proved highly tolerant of 

glyphosate and related herbicides. Treatment 

of glyphosate-resistant sugar beet and tomato 

in the field resulted in initial suppression of 

C. campestris but there was later recovery 

and only limited benefit in host vigour. Overexpression 

and/or high specific activity of the 

target enzyme is suspected of being 

responsible. The usefulness of these 

herbicides for Cuscuta control in herbicideresistant 

crops is questioned.) 

Ndakidemi, P.A. and Dakora, F.D. 2003. 

Legume seed flavonoids and nitrogenous 

metabolites as signals and protectants in early 

seedling development. Functional Plant 

Biology 30: 729-745. (Summarizing the roles 

of seed coat metabolites in symbiotic 

legumes, with the aim of evaluating the 

potential for manipulating these molecules to 

increase plant yields. Striga also considered.) 

Nun, N.B., Plakhine, D., Joel, D.M. and Mayer, 

A.M. 2003. Changes in the activity of the 

alternative oxidase in Orobanche seeds 

during conditioning and their possible 

physiological function. Phytochemistry 

64(1): 235-241. (AOX respiratory pathway 

plays an important role during seed 

preconditioning and may function in reducing 

levels of reactive oxygen species.) 

Ohashi, K., Winarno, H., Mukai, M., Inoue, M., 

Prana, M. S., Simanjuntak, P. and Shibuya, 

H. 2003. Indonesian medicinal plants. XXV. 

Cancer cell invasion inhibitory effects of 

chemical constituents in the plant Scurrula 

atropurpurea (Loranthaceae). Chemical & 

Pharmaceutical Bulletin 51(3): 343-345. 

(Among the constituents studied, the alkynic 

fatty acid octadeca-8,10,12-triynoic acid 

exhibited inhibitory effects on cancer cell 

invasion in vitro. S. atropururea is referred to 

as a parasite of tea.) 

Olmstead, R.G., Depamphilis, C.W., Wolfe, 

A.D., Young, N.D., Elisens, W.J. and 

Reeves, P.J. 2001. Disintegration of the 

Scrophulariaceae. American Journal of 

Botany 88: 348-361. (On the basis of


molecular studies involving three plastid 

genes, proposing the transfer of all parasitic 

genera of Scrophulariaceae into 

Orobanchaceae. Apologies for late posting – 

see item above ‘Parasitic Scrophs – no such 

thing?’.) 

Olupot, J.R., Osiru, D.S.O., Oryokot, J. and 

Gebrekidan, B. 2003. The effectiveness of 

Celosia argentea (Striga "chaser") to control 

Striga on sorghum in Uganda. Crop 

Protection 22: 463-468. (Inter-planting C. 

argentea reduced Striga about 50% and 

increased sorghum yields. C. argentea is 

shown to stimulate Striga germination.) 

Ouyang Jie, Wang XiaoDong, Zhao Bing and 

Wang YuChun 2003. Light intensity and 

spectral quality influencing the callus growth 

of Cistanche deserticola and biosynthesis of 

phenylethanoid glycosides. Plant Science 

165: 657-661. (Blue light caused increased 

callus biomass and phenylethanoid glycoside 

(PeG) production as compared to cultures 

growing under white light. Greater PeG 

levels are attributed to higher phenylalanine 

ammonia lyase activity in blue light.) 

Parnell, J. 2001. A revision of Orobanchaceae in 

Thailand. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) 29: 

72-80. (Describing the widespread Aeginetia 

indica, the rarer A. pedunculata and the 

endemic Christisonia siamensis.) 

Pierce, S., Ley, G., Mbwaga, A.M., Lamboll, 

R.I., Riches, C.R., Press, M.C. and Scholes, 

J.D. 2003. Farmers, farms and physiology: an 

integrated approach to Striga research. In: 

Proceedings, Crop Science and Technology 

2003, BCPC International Congress, 

Glasgow, 2003, pp. (Reviewing a range of 

inter-related studies leading to practical 

choices of new sorghum varieties for farmers, 

based on soil type and fertilizer use.) 

Plitmann, U. 2002. Agamospermy is much more 

common than conceived: a hypothesis. Israel 

Journal of Plant Sciences 50(Supplement): 

S111-S117. (Discussing the evolutionary 

implications of casual or facultative 

agamospermy in opportunistic plants and 

higher parasitic plants.) 

Procopovici, E. 2001. (Behaviour of some 

sunflower hybrids to Orobanche cumana 

attack under conditions of Dobrogea.) (in 

Romanian) Probleme de Protectia Plantelor 

29(2): 209-214. (Varieties Favorit, Turbo, 

Melody, Arena, and Pixel are recommended 

for growth in O. cumana-infested areas of 

Dobrogea.) 

14 

Puustinen, S. and Mutikainen, P. 2001. Hostparasite-herbivore 

interactions: implications 

of host cyanogenesis. Ecology 82: 2059- 

2071. (Studies on Trifolium repens with 

varying levels of cyanogenic glucosides, in 

the presence of parasitic Rhinanthus 

serotinus and/or the predatory snail Arianta 

arbustorum show that cyanogenesis deters 

the snail but not the parasite, while the snail 

was deterred by parasitism only in the 

absence of cyanogenesis.) 

Quested, H.M., Press, M.C. and Callaghan, T.V. 

2003. Litter of the hemiparasite Bartsia 

alpina enhances plant growth: evidence for a 

functional role in nutrient cycling. Oecologia 

135: 606-614. (Showing that litter from the 

nutrient-rich foliage of B. alpina enhances 

growth of Betula nana and Poa alpina.) 

Rathore, B.S. 2003. Blond psyllium - a new host 

for Orobanche. Indian Phytopathology 56(1): 

121. (‘Orobanche sp.’ recorded on Plantago 

ovata.) 

Rehms, L. and Osterbauer, N.K. 2003. Detecting 

Orobanche minor seeds in soil using PCR. 

Plant Health Progress. July, 2003: 1-3. 

Robinson, D.C.E., Geils, B.W. and Muir, J.A. 

2002. Spatial statistical model for the spread 

of dwarf mistletoe within and between 

stands. In: Crookston, N.L., Havis, R.N. (eds) 

Proceedings - Rocky Mountain Research 

Station, USDA Forest Service, 2002, 

No.RMRS-P-25, pp.178-185. 

Rodriguez-Cruz, M.E., Perez-Ordaz, L., Serrato- 

Barajas, B.E., Juarez-Oropeza, M.A., 

Mascher, D. and Paredes-Carbajal, M.C. 

2003. Endothelium-dependent effects of the 

ethanolic extract of the mistletoe 

Psittacanthus calyculatus on the vasomotor 

responses of rat aortic rings. Journal of 

Ethnopharmacology 86(2/3): 213-218. 

(Suggesting a mechanism for the supposed 

actiity of extracts of P. calyculatus against 

hypertension in traditional Mexican 

medicine.) 

Rousset, A., Simier, P. and Fer, A. 2003. 

Characterisation of simple in vitro cultures of 

Striga hermonthica suitable for metabolic 

studies. Plant Biology 5: 265-273. (Attempts 

to standardise the use of protoplasts were not 

successful, but the use of globular calluses 

looks promising.) 

Rubiales, D., Alcantara, C., Perez-de-Luque, A., 

Gil, J. and Sillero, J.C. 2003. Infection of 

chickpea (Cicer arietinum) by crenate 

broomrape (Orobanche crenata) as 

influenced by sowing date and weather


conditions. Agronomie 23: 359-362. 

(Although there is somewhat more attack by 

O. crenata on chickpea with early, winter, 

sowing, the crop is still relatively resistant 

and little damaged.) 

Rubiales, D., Perez-de-Luque, A., Cubero, J.I. 

and Sillero, J.C. 2003. Crenate broomrape 

(Orobanche crenata) infection in field pea 

cultivars. Crop Protection 22: 865-872. 

(Reporting little resistance in 20 pea varieties 

but some useful results from delayed sowing 

and imazethapyr pre- and post-emergence.) 

Rubiales, D., Pérez-de-Luque, A., Joel, D.M., 

Alcántara, C. and Sillero, J.c. 2003. 

Characterization of resistance in chickpea to 

crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata). 

Weed Science 51: 702-707. (Resistant 

chickpea varieties CA2065 and P2245 were 

shown to cause very little germination of O. 

crenata but also resisted penetration of 

haustoria by a form of resistance which did 

not involve host cell death but discolouration, 

inhibition and death of the invading 

haustorium.) 

Rugutt, K.J., Rugutt, J.K. and Berner, D.K. 2003. 

In vitro germination of Striga hermonthica 

and Striga aspera seeds by 1aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic 

acid. 

Natural Product Research 17(1): .47-62. 

(Results suggest a hormonal mode of action 

for ACC, involving indirect stimulation of 

biosynthesis of ethylene that then triggers 

seed germination.) 

Sanjai, V.N. and Balakrishnan, N.P. 2001. A 

note on the cryptic mimicry exhibited by 

Indian Viscaceae. Indian Journal of Forestry 

24: 233-234. 

Sanjai, V.N. and Balakrishnan, N.P. 2001. A 

note on hyper-parasitism in Indian Viscaceae. 

Indian Journal of Forestry 24: 235-236. 

Santos, C.V. dos – see Vieira Dos Santos, C. 

Sarikaya, O. and Avci, M. 2002. (Pest and 

diseases of the West Mediterranean forest 

tree, Cilician fir (Abies cilicica Carr.).) (in 

Turkish) Orman Muhendisligi 39(9/10): 20- 

23. (Including reference to damage by 

Viscum album.) 

Sauerborn, J., Kranz, B. and Mercer-Quarshie, 

H. 2003. Organic amendments mitigate 

heterotrophic weed infestation in savannah 

agriculture. Applied Soil Ecology 23: 181- 

186. (Observations in N. Ghana on ‘near’ and 

‘far’ fields with contrasting manuring and 

soil fertility help to confirm a negative 

correlation between soil fertility and Striga 

infestation.) 

15 

Schawaller, W. 2002. (The plant parasite 

Cynomorium as a feeding plant of cetonid 

beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabeidae) in 

southeastern Kazakhstan.) (in German) 

Entomologische Zeitschrift mit Insekten- 

Borse.112: 363-364. (Cetonia aurata and 

Potosia karelini observed feeding and 

causing damage.) 

Schneeweiss, G.M. and Weiss, H. 2003. 

Polyploidy in Aeginetia indica L. 

(Orobanchaceae). Cytologia 68(1): 15-17. (2n 

found to be 120 – apparently octoploid.) 

Showemimo, F.A. 2002. Evaluation of sorghum 

lines for Striga resistance. Tropical 

Agriculture 79: 237-240. (Field trails in 

Nigeria suggest lines SS-3, KSV-4 and KSV- 

8 are potential sources of S. hermonthica 

resistance.) 

Showemimo, F.A. 2003. Selection criteria for 

combining high yield and Striga resistance in 

sorghum. Tropicultura.21(3): 157-159. (Plant 

vigour, stem girth, root weight, shoot weight 

and plant height all shown to be positively 

correlated with crop yield in the presence of 

Striga.) 

Singh, H.P., Batish, D.R. and Kohli, R.K. 2003. 

Allelopathic interactions and allelochemicals: 

new possibilities for sustainable weed 

management. Critical Reviews in Plant 

Sciences 22: 239-311. (Including a section on 

the stimulatory allelochemicals involved in 

parasitic plant germination and haustorial 

initiation, also the use of microorganisms for 

parasitic weed control.) 

Stein, G.M., Bussing, A. and Schietzel, M. 2002. 

Stimulation of the maturation of dendritic 

cells in vitro by a fermented mistletoe extract. 

Anticancer Research.22(6C): 4215-4220. 

Sugimoto, Y., Ali, A.M., Yabuta, S., Kinoshita, 

H., Inananga, S. and Itai, A. 2003. 

Germination strategy of Striga hermonthica 

involves regulation of ethylene biosynthesis. 

Physiologia Plantarum 119: 137-145. 

(Detailed studies tend to confirm that 

conditioning of S. hermonthica seeds 

involves expression of ACC oxidase genes 

peaking after 15 days, while exposure to 

GR24 resulted in expression of ACC 

synthase genes, peaking after 10 hours, 

leading to endogenous ethylene generation 

and hence germination.) 

Swift, K., Turner, J. and Rankin, L. 2002. 

Cariboo Forest Region: Part 1 of 3. Forest 

health Stand Establishment Decision Aids. 

BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management 

2(1): 13-18. (An extension note including


discussion of the problem of Arceuthobium 

americanum in Pinus contorta.) 

Tang, S.X., Heesacker, A., Kishore, V.K., 

Fernandez, A., El-Sayed, S., Cole, G. and 

Knapp, S.J. 2003. Genetic mapping of the 

Or5 gene for resistance to Orobanche Race E 

in sunflower. Crop Science 43: 1021-1028. 

(Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were 

used to map Or5 to sunflower linkage group 

3. This adds detail to previous maps, but Or5 

is located in a telomeric region and is proving 

difficult to map precisely.) 

Tikader, A. and Thangavelu, K. 2002. Incidence 

of Elyctranthe parasitica (L.) Dans., an 

epiphyte on mulberry. Indian Journal of 

Sericulture 41(2): 162-163. 

Tsanuo, M.K., Hassanali,A., Hooper, A.M., 

Khan, Z., Kaberia, F., Pickett, J.A,. and 

Wadhams, L.J. 2003. Isoflavones from the 

allelopathic aqueous root exudates of 

Desmodium uncinatum. Phytochemistry 64: 

265-273. (Paper based on the thesis reported 

in the previous issue – reporting the 

separation of several active fractions from the 

root exudates of D. uncinatum, and the 

chemical structure of some of the major isoflavanoid 

components, one, uncinanone B, 

stimulating germination at 10-50 ppm, while 

uncinanone C inhibited radicle elongation at 

5-10 ppm.) 

Vaughn, K.C. 2003. Dodder hyphae invade the 

host: a structural and immunocytochemical 

characterization. Protoplasma 220(3/4) 189- 

200. (Close examination of C. pentagona 

reveals that hyphae do not grow through the 

host cell walls but rather induce the host to 

form a new cell wall which coats the growing 

hypha. It is also shown that the chimeric 

walls so formed are unique in composition 

and structure.) 

Vieira Dos Santos, C, Delavault, P., Letousey, P. 

and Thalouarn, P. 2003. Identification by 

suppression subtractive hybridization and 

expression analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana 

putative defence genes during Orobanche 

ramosa infection. Physiological and 

Molecular Plant Pathology 62: 297-303. 

(Twelve host genes induced by parasitism are 

characterized, notably including potential 

signalling components, sucrose carriers, 

antioxidants, and wall fortifiers.) 

Watson, D. M. 2002. Effects of mistletoe on 

diversity: a case-study from southern 

New South Wales. Emu, Journal of the Royal 

Australasian Ornithologists Union 102(3): 

275-281. (Removal of mistletoes was 

16 

associated with a significant reduction in 

numbers of bird species recorded.) 

Weinberg, T., Lalazar, A. and Rubin, B. 2003. 

Effects of bleaching herbicides on field 

dodder (Cuscuta campestris). Weed Science 

51: 663-670. (Effects of xylem-mobile 

fluorochloridone in reducing β-carotene 

levels was much more short-lived than that of 

phloem-mobile sulcotrione and mesotrione 

but all three led to destruction of plastids, and 

reduction of starch. β-carotene appears to be 

important to the integrity of amyloplasts.) 

Wijesundara, D.S.A., Jayasinghe, C., Marambe, 

B. and Tennakoon, K.U. 2001. Host-parasitic 

associations of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. in Sri 

Lanka. Annals of the Sri Lanka Department 

of Agriculture 3: 343-351. (Over 100 hosts 

listed for ‘C. chinensis’ in Sri Lanka but 

some confusion with C. campestris 

suspected. Hibiscus esculentus and Phaseolus 

vulgaris noted to be resistant.) 

Woodall, G.S. and Robinson, C.J. 2002. Direct 

seeding Acacias of different form and 

function as hosts for Sandalwood (Santalum 

spicatum). In: Maslin, B.R. and George, A.S. 

(eds) Conservation Science Western 

Australia 4(3): 130-134. (Proposing a multihost 

system, based mainly on Acacia 

acuminata, for cultivation of S. spicatum.) 

Yasuda, N., Sugimoto, Y., Kato, M., Inanaga, S. 

and Yoneyama, K. 2003. (+)-Strigol, a 

witchweed seed germination stimulant, from 

Menispermum dauricum root culture. 

Phytochemistry 62: 1115-1119. (Claiming to 

be the first report for the isolation of a 

strigolactone from aseptic plant culture.) 

HAUSTORIUM 44 

has been edited by Chris Parker, 5 Royal York 

Crescent, Bristol BS8 4JZ, UK (Email 

chrisparker5@compuserve.com), Lytton John 

Musselman, Parasitic Plant Laboratory, 

Department of Biological Sciences, Old 

Dominion University, Norfolk Virginia 23529- 

0266, USA (fax 757 683 5283; Email 

lmusselm@odu.edu) and Jim Westwood, Dept. 

of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed 

Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061- 

0331, USA (Email westwood@vt.edu). Send 

material for publication to any of the editors. 

Printing and mailing has been supported by Old 

Dominion University.

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