Parasitic plants rely on neighbouring host plants to complete their life cycle, forming vascular connections through which they withdraw needed nutritive resources. The control of parasitic weeds is challenging because there are few sources of crop resistance and it is difficult to apply controlling methods selective enough to kill the weeds without damaging the crop to which they are physically and biochemically attached. The management of parasitic weeds is also hindered by their high fecundity, dispersal efficiency, persistent seed bank, and rapid responses to changes in agricultural practices, which allow them to adapt to new hosts and manifest increased aggressiveness against new resistant cultivars. This paper presents biology and management of four important families of parasitic weeds.
P. Karthick Vikram
Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu (625 104), India
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