Nature Communications (May 2022)
Nitrogen represses haustoria formation through abscisic acid in the parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum
Abstract
Parasitic plants obtain nutrients from their hosts. Here the authors show that nitrogen sufficiency suppresses parasitism in the root parasite Phtheirospermum japonicum by increasing levels of the phytohormone ABA suggesting that the degree of parasitism is regulated by nutrient availability.