This document discusses the parasitic plant Orabanche, also known as broomrape. It is a root parasite that attacks many crops including tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes and legumes. It draws nutrients from host plant roots using haustoria. Infection causes wilting, drooping leaves and reduced yields. The seeds can remain dormant in soil for over 10 years. Management involves crop rotation, soil solarization, herbicides and fungal biocontrol agents.

1. STUDENT COURSE TEACHER
NISHA. S Dr. S. PARTHASARATHY
ID. No. 20160210024 Asst. Prof., (Plant Pathology)
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
Affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Kullapuram, Via Vaigai dam, Theni-625 562
ORABANCHE

2. Orabanche
© bioref.lastdragon.org

3. INTRODUCTION
 It is a total root parasite.
 Serious phanerogamous parasite of tobacco.
 It also attacks other crops than tobacco.
 A single plant carries 10 – 100 flowers and
hence, may produce 1,00,000 or more seeds.
There are more than 150 species.

4. IMPORTANT SPECIES OF ORABANCHE
 Orabanche aegyptiaca (Egyptian broomrape)
 O. ramosa (Branched broomrape)
 O. crenata (Bean broomrape)
 O. cernua (Nodding broomrape)
 O. cumana (Sunflower broomrape)
 O. minor (Common broomrape)

5. Sunflower parasitized by orabanche
©researchgate.net

6. Orabanche in Legume crops
©link.springer.com

7. Orabanche in Mustard and Tomato
©bjpponline.com

8. PRIMARY HOSTS
Tobacco, Tomato, Potato, Pepper, Mustard,
Groundnut, Cowpea, Sunflower, Safflower, Cabbage,
Cauliflower, Broad bean, Sunhemp, etc.

9. SIGNIFICANCE
Orabanche is popularly known as
broomrape in English speaking countries,
Tokra in North India, Vakumba in Gujarat,
Bambaku in Maharashtra, Pokayilaikalan
in Tamil Nadu, Bodu or Malle in Andhra
Pradesh.

10.  It is a flowering parasite on tobacco roots in all
tobacco tracts in India.
 Its is a holoparasite and draws its nourishment
from tobacco by means of haustoria attached to
the roots of tobacco.

11. ECONOMIC LOSS
 The loss in the yield and quality of leaf is very
much variable from 30 - 70 % in Tamil Nadu
and 10 - 50 % in other states.

12. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
WORLD
 Mediterranean region
 Southern, Northern and Eastern Europe
 Africa
 New Zealand
 Australia
 North, Central and South America

13. INDIA
 Haryana
 Punjab
 Madhya Pradesh
 Andhra Pradesh
 Tamil Nadu
 Karnataka
 Maharashtra

14. ©plantwise.org

15. SYMPTOMS
 In the early stages of infection, symptoms of
wilting, drooping and ribbing of leaves are
observed.
 These symptoms are the first indication of
underground infection of tobacco roots by the
parasite.

16.  Five to six weeks after planting, young orabanche
sprouts emerge from the soil from the base of
tobacco plants.
 Presence of numerous orabanche shoots around
the plants in the field is themost important visible
symptom.

17.  Plants attacked in the early season are generally
stunted showing typical wilting of leaves.
 Plants attacked late in the season do not show
visible symptoms of infection but the yield and
quality of leaves are reduced.

18. SYMPTOMS
©nofa.in

19. SYMPTOMS
©plantvillge.psu.edu ©forestryimages.org

20. SYSTEMATIC POSITION
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Tracheophyta
Subdivision : Spermatophytina
Class : Magnoliopsida
Superorder : Asteranae
Order : Lamiales
Family : Orabanchaceae
Genus : Orabanche L.
Species : O. cernua Loefl.

21. CHARACTERS
 It is an annual, fleshy flower plant, growing up
to a height of about 30 cm with cylindrical stem,
pale in colour, thickened at base, and covered
with scaly leaves that end in spikes.
 It carries many seeds.
 The seeds are minute, ovoid and reticulate.
 They germinate in the presence of the roots of
any host.

22. ORABANCHE SEEDS
©idtools.org

23. DISEASE CYCLE
 The seeds of orabanche remain dormant in the
soil for several years, and when tobacco is
planted, they are stimulated to germinate by
the roots.
 On germination the plant attaches itself to the
roots, establishing a parasitic relationship and
then growing rapidly to produce the shoot and
flowers.

24.  When the seeds are set, they are shed to the
ground to become mixed with the soil or at
harvest, the shoots are left in the field, after
which the seeds are mixed in the soil and the
cycle is completed.

25. Life cycle of orabanche
R

26. MODE OF SURVIVAL
 PRIMARY SPREAD
Seeds remain dormant in soil for many years
upto 10 – 13 years.
 SECONDARY SPREAD
Agricultural tools used in infested fields.

27. FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS
 Optimum temperature for germination is 15⁰ -
20⁰C for at least 18 days.
 It can get fail to parasitize if the soil temperature is
too high.
 Seed germinates in presence of roots of host plant
(Root exudates contain growth regulators like
IAA, GA₃ and kinetin stimulates germination).

28. MANAGEMENT
PREVENTIVE METHODS
 Use healthy and certified planting materials of
improved varieties free from weed seed
contamination.
 Clean farm machinery and equipments to prevent
the movement of infested soil to newer areas.

29.  Practice deep tillage during summer months.
 Collect the parasitic weeds prior to flowering and
burn.
 Use well-rotten decomposed green manure, if
needed.

30. CULTURAL METHOD
 Crop rotation with non-host crops like wheat,
barley, chickpea, rice etc.
 Trap and catch crops found effective and may help
to reduce seed bank of Orabanche spp.

31.  Trap crops - Pepper, Sorghum, Cowpea,
Sunhemp, Mungbean, Alfalfa, Soybean and
Chickpea.
 Delaying sowing dates - Two weeks after the
optimal date of sowing.
 Increased cropping density may reduce
competition.

32. PHYSICAL METHOD
 Hand pulling before flowering followed by
burning.
 Tillage – deep tillage during summer months.
 Deep inversion plowing and fire – placement
of seeds at 20 cm depth cause little emergence
of orabanche and the buried seeds could be
brought up by subsequent tillage.

33.  Soil solarization – covering moist soil with
white or black polythene sheet for a month can
increase the soil temperature by almost 10⁰C
results in killing orabanche seeds.

34. BIOLOGICAL METHODS
 Management of orabanche through biological
perpetuation of a fly, Phytomyza orabanchia.
 Inoculation of fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.
orthoceras in the field results in 90% control.

35. CHEMICAL METHODS
 Soil fumigants like Metham sodium or Dazomet is
very effective.
 Residual soil applied herbicides belonging to
dinitroanilines and sulfonyl ureas used for better
control.
 Seed treatment with imidazolinones is found
effective.

36. s
REFERENCE
 Singh, R. S., 2009. Plant Diseases. Oxford
and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi
 Rangaswami, G and Mahadevan, A. 2014.
Diseases of Crop Plants in India. PHI
Learning Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.
 https://www.itis.gov/servlet/singleRpt/
singleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_
value=34277#null.