Parasitic Plants Devestate Crops

A floral shoot of the Orobanche mutelii parasitic plant stands alongside the non-flowering shoot of its tobacco host. One of three parasitic plants from the Orobanchaceae family to be studied in a three-year project at Virginia Tech, it will shed light into the genetcis behind crop devastating plants. This particular plant family is particularly devastating in developing countries in Africa and the Middle East, and according to researcher Jim Westwood who is part of the research team, the Orobanchaceae parasites can threaten such food staples as potatoes, tomatoes, sunflowers, beans and cerals.

Credit: Jim Westwood, Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, Virginia Tech