Plants constantly monitor and cope with a diversity of pathogens that seriously affect food production. To overcome this limitation, synthetic agrochemicals are widely used. However, more stringent worldwide regulatory policies have led to the development of sustainable agriculture strategies including the use of naturally-derived molecules that elicit plant defense responses. The use of these molecules commercially is still limited, mostly due to knowledge gaps in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms producing their effects on plant metabolism. In recent decades, efforts have been directed towards understanding how individual molecules, such as immune receptors or microbial effectors, enable plants to perceive and respond against pathogens and other stresses. Furthermore, recent research on plant immunity has revealed higher levels of complexity, including regulation mediated by micro-peptides and miRNA. Such knowledge opens the opportunity to link basic and applied science to facilitate the use of natural elicitors as a sustainable option for crop protection.
This Research Topic seeks to highlight emerging trends in plant defense response induced by elicitors, with a focus on the progression from molecules to plant communities and crops. We expect contributions that employ state-of-the-art technology and approaches, and we especially welcome studies that take interdisciplinary approaches to decipher the great complexity of the mechanisms underlying plant-pathogen interactions. Descriptive studies that report phenotypic (morphological, developmental, or physiological) responses or that describe effects already shown in other species will not be considered if they do not address the molecular relevance to the plant pathogen association or if they provide negligible advancement of knowledge.
All article types published by Frontiers in Plant Science are welcome that advance the knowledge and understanding of plant defense and immunity with respect to:
1. Signal integration between biotic and abiotic stress responses
2. Cross-tolerance or tradeoff under combined stresses (e.g. plant-pathogen interactions under abiotic stress);
3. The reciprocal relationship between the plant immune system and the microbiome, and its relevance for plant health;
4. Genetic and epigenetic dynamics as well as transgenerational effects in plant-pathogen interactions
5. Immune memory in plants;
6. Trade-offs between plant growth and plant defense;
7. Micropeptides and plant immunity;
8. miRNAs-mediated regulation of plant-microbe interactions;
9. Defense elicitors from beneficial microorganisms;
10. Technological advancement in the use of elicitors to control pathogens for enhancing plant productivity.
Plants constantly monitor and cope with a diversity of pathogens that seriously affect food production. To overcome this limitation, synthetic agrochemicals are widely used. However, more stringent worldwide regulatory policies have led to the development of sustainable agriculture strategies including the use of naturally-derived molecules that elicit plant defense responses. The use of these molecules commercially is still limited, mostly due to knowledge gaps in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms producing their effects on plant metabolism. In recent decades, efforts have been directed towards understanding how individual molecules, such as immune receptors or microbial effectors, enable plants to perceive and respond against pathogens and other stresses. Furthermore, recent research on plant immunity has revealed higher levels of complexity, including regulation mediated by micro-peptides and miRNA. Such knowledge opens the opportunity to link basic and applied science to facilitate the use of natural elicitors as a sustainable option for crop protection.
This Research Topic seeks to highlight emerging trends in plant defense response induced by elicitors, with a focus on the progression from molecules to plant communities and crops. We expect contributions that employ state-of-the-art technology and approaches, and we especially welcome studies that take interdisciplinary approaches to decipher the great complexity of the mechanisms underlying plant-pathogen interactions. Descriptive studies that report phenotypic (morphological, developmental, or physiological) responses or that describe effects already shown in other species will not be considered if they do not address the molecular relevance to the plant pathogen association or if they provide negligible advancement of knowledge.
All article types published by Frontiers in Plant Science are welcome that advance the knowledge and understanding of plant defense and immunity with respect to:
1. Signal integration between biotic and abiotic stress responses
2. Cross-tolerance or tradeoff under combined stresses (e.g. plant-pathogen interactions under abiotic stress);
3. The reciprocal relationship between the plant immune system and the microbiome, and its relevance for plant health;
4. Genetic and epigenetic dynamics as well as transgenerational effects in plant-pathogen interactions
5. Immune memory in plants;
6. Trade-offs between plant growth and plant defense;
7. Micropeptides and plant immunity;
8. miRNAs-mediated regulation of plant-microbe interactions;
9. Defense elicitors from beneficial microorganisms;
10. Technological advancement in the use of elicitors to control pathogens for enhancing plant productivity.
