Scientists find way to trigger parasitic plant self-destruction

Scientists at UC Riverside (UCR) have found a potential solution to fight parasitic weeds that harm crops. These weeds thrive by stealing nutrients from plants like rice and sorghum, leading to significant crop losses, especially in regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia where food is already scarce. The research, published in the journal Science, focuses on a group of plant hormones called strigolactones. These hormones play a key role in plant growth and help plants deal with stress. However, parasitic weeds have learned to use these hormones as signals to invade crops. The UCR team aims to use this knowledge against the weeds. By giving the weeds strigolactone signals at the wrong time, they can trick the weeds into sprouting when there is no food available for them. This could lead to the weeds dying off, effectively committing "suicide". To study strigolactone production, the research team developed a system that uses bacteria and yeast to create these hormones in a lab. This allows scientists to learn more about how these hormones are made and to explore their potential uses beyond agriculture, including medical applications. Researchers are still testing the new strategy in real-world fields to see how effective it can be. Fine-tuning the chemical signals could lead to significant improvements. If successful, this method could provide farmers with a powerful new tool to manage harmful weeds.