Abstract
Species of the genus Orobanche are parasitic flowering plants, holoparasites, which cling to the roots of green plants. Their tiny seeds (200 x $250\mu\textrm{m}$) germinate in response to chemical stimuli produced by host and some non-host plants. Successful contact with their host leads to development of haustoria for obtaining water and food. The shoots above the ground expose flowers and disseminate seeds. Several samples of Orobanche ramosa, O. crenata, O. cernua, and O. egyptiaca were collected from different localities in Jordan. These samples showed one of the following disease symptoms: dry rot at the base of the stem; general deterioration and expanded lesion from base upward; soft tissue maceration of stem; and black rot of flower parts with incomplete maturation of the ovary and seeds. Isolation from diseased stems and seeds was made on three different mycological media. Several fungi were isolated, mainly, Fusarium spp., Alternaria alternata, Rhizoctonia sp., Dendrophora sp., Chaetomium sp., and an ascomycetus fungus with a perithecium. Pathogenicity tests showed that Fusarium spp. and Alternaria alternata attacked healthy living tissue of Orobanche spikes. These fungi caused lesions of black soft rot and complete deterioration within 5-7 days. They also attacked Orobanche seeds, arresting their germination and causing maceration of non-germinated and germinated seeds after 5-7 days of incubation. Meanwhile, Dendrophora sp. and Chaetomium sp. caused limited lesion at first, but were able to colonize the tissue as it aged and senesced. This study showed the presence of a potential endogenous pathogenic fungi in Jordan, which can be investigated as a biological control for Orobanche.