Broomrape germination begins when a suitable host is available to produce the signaling compound called strigalactone and soil temperatures are favorable for preconditioning (15 – 20°C for 5 to 21 days). If conditions remain conducive, multiple flushes of germination can occur within a single season; however, in the absence of stimulants, these preconditioned seeds enter secondary dormancy. As the environment becomes drier, the seed’s ability to germinate gradually reduces. After germination, the radicle of the broomrape seedling grows a few millimeters in length and attaches to the host plant. If it fails to attach to a host within a few days, the radicle exhausts its food reserves and dies. Following attachment to the host plant, the radicle develops into a specialized structure called ‘haustorium’, which fuses into the vascular system of the host root and siphons nutrients and water from the host’s vascular system. Once connected to a host plant, broomrape grows rapidly, forming a tubercle, a storage organ for nutrients and water extracted from the host underground. Multiple shoots develop from the tubercle and emerge above the soil surface, then grow to stalks from 6 – 12 inches in height. The shoots, wrapped with alternate bracts, completely lack leaves and chlorophyll. Prior to flowering, young plants look like yellowish spikes. Seed production can occur within 14 days after flowering. A mature broomrape plant can produce hundreds of thousands of tan or brown-colored seeds, which can remain dormant and viable for many years (> 20) in soil. The entire life cycle, from seed germination to seed production, takes place within the March-to-August growing season of processing tomatoes in California.