When a building catches fire, someone inevitably calls the emergency services so the fire department will come to put out the fire. Why? They don't want the fire to spread and cause more damage to the building.
Induced resistance systems in plants work in much the same manner. When a bacterial pathogen enters the plant through a wound, for example, the alarm is sounded, the plant signals the defense systems and they rush to the site of the attack, because the plant wants to minimize the damage as much as possible. In plants, this phenomenon is termed induced resistance.
How exactly does induced resistance work in plants? Can the induction of plant defenses be commercialized? Find out more about this technology and its potential.
Photo: A potato plant. USDA-ARS.