Editing Cuscuta (section)

==Host defenses==
Less is known about host defenses against dodder and other parasitic plants than is known about [[Plant defense against herbivory|plant defenses against herbivores]] and pathogens.  In one study, [[tomato]] plants were found to employ complex mechanisms to defend against dodder.  Two pathways, using [[jasmonic acid]] and [[salicylic acid]], were activated in response to attack by ''[[Cuscuta pentagona]]''.  Dodder attack was also found to induce production of volatiles, including 2-[[carene]], [[α-pinene]], [[limonene]], and [[phellandrene|β-phellandrene]].  It is not known if or how these volatiles defend the host, but they could potentially interfere with the dodder's ability to locate and select hosts.  Also, the presence of [[trichomes]] on the tomato stem effectively blocks the dodder from attaching to the stem.<ref name="defenses">{{cite journal | last1 = Runyon | first1 = J.B. |display-authors=et al | date = August 2010 | title = Plant defenses against parasitic plants show similarities to those induced by herbivores and pathogens | journal = Plant Signaling and Behavior | volume = 5 | issue = 8| pages = 929–931 | doi=10.4161/psb.5.8.11772 | pmid=20495380 | pmc=3115164| bibcode = 2010PlSiB...5..929R }}</ref>