Effect of Field Dodder (Cuscuta Campestris Yuncker) on Some Legume Crops

(Awad poor Farah and Mohammed Abdulaziz A)

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Abstract

Twelve legume crops were tested to study the effect of field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yuncker) on them. The tested crops showed great variations in response to field dodder parasitism. Based on the reduction in host dry weight (biological yield) caused by the parasite, the tested crops were classified into three groups: crops that lost > 50% of the their biological yield were considered highly susceptible, those that lost 10-50% of their biological yield were considered susceptible and those that lost < 10% of their biological yield were considered resistant. The results of the study revealed that among the tested legume crops the first group (the highly susceptible) comprised 6 crops (hyacinth bean, lens, chickpea, broad bean, alfalfa, fodder pea), the second group (the susceptible) comprised 4 crops (fenugreek, Egyptian clover, lupin, garden pea) and the third group (the resistant) comprised 2 crops (kidney bean and vetch). The parasitic damage appeared to be of greater magnitude on hyacinth bean (75% loss of biological yield) and of lesser magnitude on kidney bean (8.1% loss of biological yield) as compared to the other legumes. However, in vetch the parasite had a positive effect on its growth traits (17% increase in biological yield). The significant reductions in the growth parameters of susceptible and highly susceptible crops were associated with a marked increase in shoot yield of field dodder.
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