Gene silencing in broomrapes and other parasitic plants of the Orobanchaceae family: mechanisms, considerations, and future directions.

This article focuses on the use of RNA interference (RNAi) strategies, particularly host-induced gene silencing (HIGS), to control holoparasitic plants of the Orobanchaceae family, which cause severe damage to many crops and are difficult to manage by conventional means. It reviews the biology of these root parasites, especially broomrape species, highlighting key developmental stages and molecular targets suitable for gene silencing, such as genes involved in seed germination, haustorium formation, nutrient metabolism, and flowering. The article discusses various RNA silencing approaches—including hairpin RNAi (hpRNAi), virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), artificial miRNAs (amiRNAs), and synthetic tasiRNAs (syn-atasiRNAs)—and emphasizes the importance of improving the delivery and long-distance movement of silencing signals from host plants to parasites. Additionally, it explores emerging technologies like nanoparticle-mediated delivery and miRNA-encoded peptides (miPEPs) as promising tools to enhance RNAi efficacy and suggests combinatorial gene silencing to prevent resistance development in parasites.