Small seeded dodder is the target of a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project, looking at the parasitic weed’s agronomic traits and potential control measures.

Various Group B herbicides registered for particular crops will be tested for their efficiency on dodder.

Small-seeded dodder was reported in a canola crop in the northern agricultural region in 2001 and seriously threatens Western Australia’s grains industry, attacking a range of hosts, especially those in the Fabaceae and Solanaceae families.

Canola plants affected by dodder become badly stunted. Although dodder’s impact on canola yield is unknown, a 50 per cent reduction through infected plants is estimated, with a similar effect expected on legumes.