Third symposium on the biology of non-weedy parasitic plants

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• Venue
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• Travelling to Namur

The Third symposium on the biology of non-weedy parasitic plants will take place in Namur, Belgium on September 12-15 2013. The meeting will be hosted by the Université catholique de Louvain.

Following the tradition of the symposia on the biology of non-weedy hemiparasitic Orobanchaceae (Wageningen 2004, České Budějovice 2008), we decided to broaden the thematic range to all haustorial parasites due to similar methodologies used in research and many parallels in the biology of unrelated groups of parasitic plants. We welcome all presentations dealing with any aspect of the biology (physiology, ecology, evolution, etc.) of both root- and stem-parasitic plants, except for studies focused on the impact of weedy parasitic plants on agriculture and possible ways to eradicate them. However, contributions dealing with the fundamental biology of these plants (e.g. Striga spp. or Arceuthobium spp.) will be appreciated. We also call for presentations discussing conservation issues and applications of parasitic plants e.g. in ecological engineering and restoration.

The research on parasitic plants has made significantly progress since the last Symposium was held in České Budějovice in 2008 and the subject is becoming more and more popular. Hence, the upcoming meeting will be an ideal opportunity to discuss recent advancements and to establish contacts among different research teams. It will be also a nice opportunity to continue and reinforce the tradition of these meetings held once every few years.

Renate Wesselingh and Jakub Těšitel, the organizers