Parasitic Weeds of the World

Parasitic plants are of intrinsic botanical interest, but are also important weeds in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Through intimate attachments to their host crops, these parasitic weeds profoundly alter the hosts' physiology and can cause severe crop losses. This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the biology and control of all the major parasitic weed groups. These include Striga (the witchweeds), which are significant parasites on cereals, cowpea and other broadleaved crops, Orobanche (broomrapes), Cuscuta (dodders), and Loranthaceae and Viscaceae (mistletoes). More than 850 references are cited so that the book will interest both students and research workers, as well as those advising farmers, concerned with weed science and crop protection.