Host reaction to attack by root parasitic plants

Abstract

While a large majority of plants succumb to attack by parasitic plants, not all efforts to invade potential host plant roots are successful, as some hosts and non-hosts have both general and specific defence mechanisms that block parasite development in the cortex, at the endodermis, and before or after connection to the vascular system. This chapter describes the relevant aspects of host and non-host reactions to attempted parasite invasion, focusing on the histological characteristics of the resistance response, the underlying genetic basis for resistance and the cellular signalling and gene expression changes that regulate and are coincident with the resistance responses. Where applicable, the interaction of parasitic plants with their hosts/non-hosts is compared and contrasted with other known plant-plant pathogen associations.