The Parasitic Plant Dodder (Cuscuta spp)in the world and Sudan:Areview

Abstract

Dodder can identified by its thin stems appearing leafless, with the leaves reduced to minute scales .In these respects it closely resembles the similarly parasitic , but unrelated genus , cassytha .some species such as Cuscuta reflexa can photosynthesize slightly , while other such as Cuscuta europaea are entirely dependent on the host plants for nutrition the color of stem is red ,yellow and orange .dodder flowers range in color from white to pink to yellow to cream .the seeds are minute and produced in large quantities .They have a hard coating and typically can survive in the soil 5-10 years sometimes longer . Dodder from among 150 localities surveyed ,80 were found infested by the field dodder .A host range of dodder alfalfa ,sugar beet, tobacco , potato , lentil , parsley , onion , and besides the crops , 18 weed species were also recorded .Dodder reduced both quantity and quality of sugar beet yield , people use the parts that grow above the ground to make medicine it is also use for cancer .Control of dodder by preventive control ,biological (use Fusarium,Alternaria , Colletotrichum,and insects), and chemical control by use herbicides .