21 August 2014

FEDERAL NOXIOUS WEED LIST

Orobanche aegyptiaca Pers (Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Pers.) Pomel)

Common name: Egyptian broomrape

Damage

The genus Orobanche has approximately 150 species, all commonly called 

broomrape (Musselman, 1994). They cause reductions in crop yield, 

adversely affect crop quality, and result in loss of cultivated land due to 

reduced crop alternatives (Scher and Walters, 2010). Orobanche 

aegyptiaca infects roughly 30 broadleaf crops, including many 

economically important crops, such as bell pepper, cabbage, carrot, celery,

eggplant, melons, potato, tomato, sunflower, and various legumes (CAB 

International, 2014). There are reports of 50% yield reduction of 

watermelon (Panchenko, 1974). The symptoms produced by O. 

aegyptiaca are comparable to those of other Orobanche species; symptoms are not very distinctive but there may be some 

yellowing and necrosis of the foliage, general weakening of the plant and reduced fruit production (CAB International, 

2014). The presence of broomrape in a field may force farmers to plant a less economical, non-host crop or to leave the 

field fallow (Nandula, 1998). The presence of broomrape in a shipment or production area can be a trade issue as many 

countries list non-native Orobanche as a quarantine pest.

Occurrence

O. aegyptiaca is recorded as a 'serious' or 'principal' weed in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan and Italy. 

It is a major problem in at least 10 other countries of the Middle East and eastern Europe (Holm et al., 1991). 

Biology

All Orobanche species are obligate parasites; they lack chlorophyll, thus 

cannot synthesize their own food. They typically grow to about 30 cm (1 

ft.) tall. They germinate in response to host root exudates and the seedling 

must contact a host root immediately after germinating to survive. Some 

species may produce flowers within a week of emergence from the soil

(Scher and Walters, 2010), with viable seeds appearing within a few days. 

Stems are yellow to straw-colored and leaves are small triangular flaps. 

Above ground stems appear from February to April, with the first flowers 

appearing about three days after the plant emerges. These flowers have 2 

petals on the upper lip and 3 petals below. Colors can range from creamywhite to bright blue to violet. Seed pods contain numerous, tiny (0.3-0.4 

mm), dust-like seeds. As seeds mature, they turn from tan to brown to very dark. In the 

absence of a germination stimulus, they can lie dormant in the soil for over 30 years

(Anon., 2014).

APHIS Regulation

The Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974 was put into regulation in November of 1976. At 

that time, APHIS added five Orobanche species to the Federal Noxious Weed list. In 

addition, parasitic plants are considered plant pests, and may be regulated under 7 CFR 

330 whether or not they are listed Federal Noxious Weeds. The rest of the genus 

Orobanche (other than species native or widespread in the U.S.) was regulated June 3, 

1983, because the genus reduces vigor of dicots by extracting nutrients. We based the 

listings on recommendations from the Technical Committee to Evaluate Noxious Weeds, 

composed of representatives from the USDA: Agricultural Research Service; Animal & 

Plant Health Inspection Service; Agricultural Marketing Service; as well as the Weed 

Science Society of America. Orobanche spp. were added to the Federal Seed list (7 CFR 

361.6) effective August 11, 1995. 

USDA-APHIS | Egyptian broomrape (Orobanche aegyptiaca) Page 1 of 2
21 August 2014

Sources:

Anon. 2014. Decades old weed seeds trigger new plant parasite outbreak. Haustorium: Parasatic Plants Newsletter 62 4. 

http://www.parasiticplants.org/. 

CAB International. 2014. Invasive Species Compendium: Egyptian broomrape (Orobanche aegyptiaca). CAB International. 

http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/37742. (Archived at Riverdale, P4P).

Holm, L. G., J. V. Pancho, J. P. Herberger, and D. L. Plucknett. 1991. A Geographic Atlas of World Weeds.

Musselman, L. 1994. Taxonomy and spread of Orobanche. Pages 27-35 in A. Pieterse, J. Verkleij, and S. ter Borg, (eds.). Biology and management 

of Orobanche. Proceedings of the third international workshop on Orobanche and related Striga research, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 8-12 

November 1993. Royal Tropical Institute.

Nandula, V. K. 1998. Selective control of Egyptian broomrape (Orobanche aetyptiaca Pers.) by glyphosate and its amino acid status in relation to 

selected hosts. Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.

National Plant Data Team. 2014. The PLANTS Database. USDA, NRCS. http://plants.usda.gov. (Archived at Riverdale, P4P).

Panchenko, V. 1974. Micro-organisms in the control of Egyptian broomrape parasitizing water melons. Mikol. Fitopatol 8:122-125.

Scher, J. L., and D. S. Walters. 2010. Federal noxious weed disseminules of the U.S. in. California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Center 

for Plant Health Science and Technology, USDA, APHIS, U.S.

Photo Credit

USDA APHIS PPQ Archive, 2014. USDA APHIS PPQ. Bugwood.org (plants 0686008; 0686009 Dr. Reuven Jacobsohn, Agricultural Research Organization; 

5376578 seeds Julia Scher, USDA APHIS PPQ)

USDA-APHIS | Egyptian broomrape (Orobanche aegyptiaca) Page 2 of 2