Orobanche crenata Forsk. is a root parasite that produces devastating effects on many crop legumes and has become a limiting factor for faba bean production in the Mediterranean region. The efficacy of available control methods is minimal and breeding for broomrape resistance remains the most promising method of control. Resistance seems to be scarce and complex in nature, being a quantitative characteristic difficult to manage in breeding programmes. To identify and map the QTLs (quantitative trait loci) controlling the trait, 196 F₂plants derived from the cross between a susceptible and a resistant parent were analysed using isozymes, RAPD, seed protein genes, and microsatellites. F₂- derived F₃lines were studied for broomrape resistance under field conditions. Of the 130 marker loci segregating in the F₂population, 121 could be mapped into 16 linkage groups. Simple interval mapping (SIM) and composite interval mapping (CIM) were performed using QTL Cartographer. Composite interval mapping using the maximum number of markers as cofactors was clearly the most efficient way to locate putative QTLs. Three QTLs for broomrape resistance were detected. One of the three QTLs explained more than 35% of the phenotypic variance, whereas the others accounted for 11.2 and 25.5%, respectively. This result suggests that broomrape resistance in faba bean can be considered a polygenic trait with major effects of a few single genes.Key words: Orobanche crenata, Vicia faba, QTL, broomrape resistance.

Summary: Parasitic weeds pose severe constraint on major agricultural crops. Varying levels of resistance have been identified and exploited in the breeding programmes of several crops. However, the level of protection achieved to date is either incomplete or ephemeral. Resistance is mainly determined by the coexistence of several mechanisms controlled by multigenic and quantitative systems. Efficient control of the parasite requires a better understanding of the interaction and their associated resistance mechanisms at the histological, genetic and molecular levels. Application of postgenomic technologies and the use of model plants should improve the understanding of the plant–parasitic plant interaction and drive not only breeding programmes through either marker‐assisted selection (MAS) or transgenesis but also the development of alternative methods to control the parasite. This review presents the current approaches targeting the characterization of resistance mechanisms and explores their potentiality to control parasitic plants.