Infestation and Prevalence of the Mistletoe, Tapinanthus bangwensis on Host Plants in Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Nigeria

Description

This work is a study that dealt with parasitic plant and its hosts. Mistletoes are one of the largest groups of plant parasites forming intricate relationships with their hosts and deriving benefits therefrom. However, the parasite-host interaction could be a short-lived or somewhat longer duration depending on the frame and support mechanisms within and outside of the host plant’s habitation. It is a simple but worthwhile research activity undertaken to try to understand the physiology of the plant parasite-host interaction and survival.
Mistletoe infests susceptible host plants, cohabits and survives on such hosts deriving nourishment and support. The sustenance and survival of the parasitic plant on its hosts is achieved at the cost of shared resources resulting in suboptimum production in physiological outputs which include features like leaf size and weight and also the quantity and quality of fruits realized among others.
The broader scope of this work sought to carry out an assessment of the host-parasite relationship of the Mistletoe, Tapinanthus bangwensis relating to the wide array of susceptible host plants covering the target field of investigation.