Dodders – information and weed control

Published on: February 7, 2022 Modified on: 26 April 2024

Dodders (Cuscuta spp.) is a genus that includes 100-170 weeds that cause significant damage to legume crops (alfalfa, clover, bird’s-foot trefoil, etc.), especially in seed lots. They can also attack flax, hemp, hops, grasslands sown with legumes. Dodders can invade fruit nurseries, tree nurseries, vineyards, have great adaptability, and can attack a wide range of plants.

It is a parasitic plant, dicotyledonous, with medium temperature requirements. The plant has the appearance of a net, true roots are missing, and the plant procures its food through the host plant’s haustorium. Cuscuta has different colors depending on the species (from reddish to yellow). It is a phytosanitary quarantine weed.

The stem is cylindrical, filiform, branched, wrapped on the top of the host plant.

The leaves are missing or do not develop, remaining at the stage of scales or spikes.

The flowers are hermaphroditic, small, of various colors, the sepals are triangular and short. The flowers are clustered in groups of 8-12 in inflorescences.

Propagation. Dodders propagates vegetatively and through seeds. A plant produces a large number of seeds (10000-15000) which keep its germination capacity for a long time (up to 6 years in the soil).

Prevention and control. Gathering and destroying plant remains leftover from harvesting/mowing, proper preparation of the seedbed (free of boulders, plant remains and weeds), proper crop rotation, gathering and burning the dodders plants that have grown in the culture (before developing seeds), use of certified seeds and free of weed seeds.

It is recommended to use approved herbicides to control it, depending on the crop.

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