Genetic and agronomic approaches to control Orobanche and Phelipanche spp. parasitic weeds in vegetables and legumes

Broomrapes (Orobanche and Phelipanche spp.) rely on the presence of a hostplant for nourishment. Based on the release of specific molecules by the crop plant,their seeds germinate and eventually establish a vascular connection with host rootsthrough a haustorium. Therefore, they deprive their hosts of water and nutrients,posing a severe threat to vegetable and legume crops worldwide. Due to their growthbehaviour, amount and longevity of seeds released, and, generally, a large variety ofhosts, the control of parasitic plants is rather difficult. In this review, we give anupdate about agronomic and genetic approaches controlling host-parasiteinteractions. Management of broomrapes in vegetables and legumes relies ondifferent approaches: trap and catch crops; suicidal germination by strigolactones(SLs), analogues and mimics; SL degradation; biological and chemical control; othercontrol methods. Further, the production of resistant cultivars is highly desirable.Some natural sources of resistance have been identified in landraces and wildrelatives of vegetable and legume crops. Additional variability has been discovered byartificial mutagenesis, but it has been poorly exploited for breeding commercialcultivars. Recent genomic knowledge in parasitic and host species opens newperspectives for the comprehension of molecular bases of interaction and appliedbreeding, using molecular assisted breeding and biotechnological approaches aimedto modify genes controlling the various stages of parasitization. Anyway, thecombination of different genetic resistance mechanisms with agronomicalmanagement practices is mandatory to develop a durable containment strategy.