SYSTEMIC RESISTANCE OF PLANTS, THEORY VS. PRACTICE
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Plants react to pathogen attack through complex adaptive responses. Some of the responses are constitutive and pathogen non-specific, but a majority of them are induced after recognition of some feature of the pathogen. Several alterations in cellular metabolism occur as an outcome of pathogen interaction. The defense responses are expressed through accumulation of downstream signaling molecules which in turn regulate expression of defense through cell wall strengthening, lignification, phytoalexin synthesis and expression of localized cell death. In addition, this set of events leads to the expression of induced resistance. Based on differences in signaling pathways and spectra of effectiveness, different types of induced resistance have been defined. The classic form of induced resistance is referred as systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and takes place in distal plant parts upon localized infection by a pathogen. Accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins occurs directly upon induction of SAR. Many studies have focused on the mechanisms of positive regulation regarding the expression of defense genes in plants. Thus, the simplest strategy includes the application of elicitors (alginates, carrageenans, fucans, laminarin, chitosan, etc.) or signaling molecules in agriculture, which can provide an alternative strategy in crop protection to reduce or replace the overwhelming application of chemical pesticides. This paper aims to compare the advantage of these methods and their practical impacts. |
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