( ost on which the dodder seedlings do no...)Parasitic plants sniff out hosts

ost on which the dodder seedlings do not survive. However, when the researchers offered the seedlings a choice between wheat and tomato plants, the tomato won out, indicating that the parasites have some way of deciding between a good host and a bad host.

The researchers examined responses to some of the individual compounds released by host plants. Of seven compounds tested from tomato, three caused a directional growth response in dodder. One of these chemicals is also released by wheat, which might explain why wheat is somewhat attractive despite being a poor host. However, another chemical compound from wheat actually repels the dodder seedlings, perhaps explaining why the odor of wheat is less attractive than that of the preferred host tomato..

The Penn Stsate researchers note that the identification of at least one repellent compound raises the possibility of eventually using airborne chemicals to deter plant parasites. Looking forward, they would also like to determine exactly how the parasites are able to sense and respond to host volatiles. They hope to identify the specific chemical receptors involved. They are also examining the defensive mechanisms by which host plants respond to attack by parasitic plants.

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Source:Penn State


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