Field dodder life cycle and interaction with host plants

Abstract

Field dodder is a parasitic plant that attaches to stems and leaves of broadleaf plants, including weeds, field crops, vegetables and ornamentals, across most agricultural regions of the world. Effective field dodder control is extremely difficult to achieve due to the nature of attachment and close association between the host and the parasite, which require a highly effective and selective herbicide to destroy the parasite without damaging its host. To establish a strategy for controlling parasite growth and restricting the spread of field dodder in crop fields, it is important to learn more about this weed, its life cycle and development.

Vilina kosica je parazitska cvetnica koja se vezuje za stablo i lišće biljaka domaćina i parazitira značajan broj ekonomski značajnih vrsta, korove i ukrasno bilje. Postoje različite mere koje se mogu preduzeti za suzbijanje viline kosice, počev od preventivnih (čist semenski materijal, otporne sorte), preko mehaničkog uklanjanja (košenje, ručno uklanjanje) do korišćenja herbicida, ali je veoma teško postići efektivnu kontrolu ove parazitne cvetnice, zbog prirode vezivanja sa biljkom domaćinom. Za pravljenje dobre strategije u suzbijanju viline kosice pored integrisanja gore pomenutih mera, neophodno je i poznavanje njenog razvoja i životnog ciklusa.