Molecular and Morphological Studies of Dodder Cuscuta Spp. in Egypt

• Soliman, M.S.A., Hassan, L.M., Ibrahim, H.M.* and El-Anany, M.F.*
• Botany Dept., Fac. of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
• *Weed Research Central Laboratory, ARC, Giza, Egypt
• The Third International Conference onIPM Role in Integrated Crop management and Impacts on Environment and Agricultural Products. 26-29 November 2005, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Dodder Cuscuta sp. is leafless twining parasite with small flowers in heads or clusters. It has different higher plant hosts except C. epilinum, which grows only on flax. It has no normal roots or leaves. It produced haustoria's to attach its host. Morphological identification of Cuscuta spp in Egypt probably is not normally easy, so molecular studies on protein and DNA levels were used as genetic markers for the studied dodder population identification in Egypt during the period of 1998 to 2002. Electrophoretic patterns of total seed protein as revealed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and DNA-RAPD amplified in dodder fresh stems samples by arbitrary 12 primers were used as genetic markers of Cuscuta sp. Results of protein and DNA analysis showed that the dodder (Family Cuscutaceae) has polymorphic characters on molecular level and concluded that the dodder family has two genera Grammica (G. campestris) and Cuscuta (C. pedicellata, C. planiflora and C. epilinum) species.