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Irradiation of excised stem segments from de-etiolated seedlings of Cuscuta planiflorafor 24 h with mixtures of red and far-red light with red to far-red ratios between 0.02 to 1.0 enhanced coiling and formation of prehaustoria. Maximum number of prehaustoria were recorded when red:far-red was near 0.1. Coiling and prehaustoria were observed whenever estimated in vivoPfrPtotal at photoequilibrium was between 0.06 and 0.67. Irradiation of excised stem segments from white light grown seedlings with 12 h blue light also promoted coiling and prehaustoria formation after another 38 h in darkness. Coiling and prehaustoria were not observed in segments pulsed with 10 min red light at the end of 12 h in blue light. Coiling and prehaustoria were observed after photoreversible end-of-day far-redredfar-red pulses but not after redfar-redred pulses. A far-red pulse may not reverse inhibition by end-of-day red pulse when far-red is given more than 12 h after the red pulse.

Phytohormones were screened for their effects on induction of coiling and prehaustoria in de-etiolated excised dodder seedlings under different light treatments. Zeatin stimulated coiling and the formation of prehaustoria under all light tested, even in darkness. A synergistic effect was observed with zeatin and far-red light (700-800 nm) but not with red light (600-700 nm) on the formation of prehaustoria. Application of indole-3acetic acid inhibited zeatin-induced coiling and prehaustoria development under blue (400-500 nm) and a mixture of red plus far-red light, but not in blue plus far-red light. Ethylene had no effect on coiling and prehaustoria development. Observations suggest that zeatin-induced coiling and prehaustoria development may be mediated by phytochrome.