Plant Resistance To Herbivores And Pathogens

Far from being passive elements in the landscape, plants have developed many sophisticated chemical and mechanical means of deterring organisms that seek to prey on them. This volume draws together research from ecology, evolution, agronomy, and plant pathology to produce an ecological genetics perspective on plant resistance in both natural and agricultural systems. By emphasizing the ecological and evolutionary basis of resistance, the book makes an important contribution to the study of how phytophages and plants coevolve. Plant Resistance to Herbivores and Pathogens not only reviews the literature pertaining to plant resistance from a number of traditionally separate fields but also examines significant questions that will drive future research. Among the topics explored are selection for resistance in plants and for virulence in phytophages; methods for studying natural variation in plant resistance; the factors that maintain intraspecific variation in resistance; and the ecological consequences of within-population genetic variation for herbivorous insects and fungal pathogens. "A comprehensive review of the theory and information on a large, rapidly growing, and important subject."—Douglas J. Futuyma, State University of New York, Stony Brook

This timely book provides an overview of the anatomical, chemical, and developmental features contributing to plant defense, with an emphasis on plant responses that are induced by wounding or herbivore attack. The book first introduces general concepts of direct and indirect defenses, followed by a focused review of the different resistance traits. Finally, signal perception and transduction mechanism for the activation of plant defense responses are discussed.

This book investigates the induced responses of plants to herbivores and to diseases. Plant pathologists and entomologists will find that their disciplines have a lot in common when it comes to the interest in the transduction signals of plants that mediate induced responses. Induced Plant Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores will allow these two disciplines to converse and learn from their similarities and differences.

Disease Resistance in Plants, Second Edition, looks at genetic, epidemiologic, biochemical, and biometric principles for developing new cultivars possessing genetic resistance to diseases. It examines the nature of disease resistance and resistance genes, and it highlights the importance of stabilizing selection, sugar, biotrophy, and necrotrophy to obtain the greatest possible yields. Organized into 17 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of disease resistance in plants and the ways to develop disease-resistant variants. It then discusses unspecific resistance; the resistance gene paradox; susceptibility and resistance within narrow host taxa; phenotypic variation and gene numbers in host plants; discontinuous variation and cytoplasmic inheritance; and experimental difficulties in partitioning variance. The reader is also introduced to epistasis and the structure of virulence in pathogens; the notion of physiological race; how the pathogen adapts to the host; mutation in the pathogen from avirulence to virulence; horizontal and vertical resistance to disease and its epidemiological effects; and the link between protein polymorphism and vertical resistance. In addition, the book discusses genes for susceptibility in the host versus genes for avirulence (or virulence) in the pathogen; sink-induced loss of resistance; high-sugar disease processes and biotrophy; slow rusting of cereal crops; plant resistance against endemic disease; and the accumulation of resistance genes in heterogeneous host populations. This book will be useful to plant pathologists and plant breeders.

Plants are sources of nourishment for thousands of fungi, bacteria, invertebrates, vertebrates, and other plants. Plants possess a truly remarkable diversity of mechanisms to fend off attackers and recent research has shown just how complex and sophisticated these defense mechanisms can be. Plant Defense provides comprehensive coverage of the range of different organisms that plants need to fend off, describes how plants coordinate their defenses against multiple attacks, explains the evolution of defense in plants, and how plant defences are exploited in crop protection strategies. Plant Defense: Covers plants’ defenses against pathogens, pests, and parasitic plants: together in one book Brings together succinct, cutting edge information in a user-friendly format Gives an understanding of how plants ward off attacks from multiple enemies Is written by Dale Walters, an internationally known and respected researcher and teacher in crop protection, who distils his wealth of knowledge in a novel and exciting way Is an essential purchase for all those involved in plant protection around the globe Plant Defense is primarily designed for use by upper undergraduates and post graduates studying crop protection, agricultural sciences, applied entomology, plant pathology, and plant sciences. Biological and agricultural research scientists in the agrochemical and crop protection industries, and in academia, will find much of great use in this excellent new book. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where agricultural and biological sciences are studied and taught should have multiple copies of this very valuable book on their shelves.

Plant-pathogen interactions is a rapidly developing area among the plant sciences. Molecular genetics has provided the tools to analyse and manipulate mechanisms of pathogenicity and resistance responses and has facilitated their study from the population to the molecular level. The book brings together the views of experts in the field and provides an overview of the genetic basis of interactions between fungi, bacteria, viruses and their host plants, the triggering of plant defences and the complex array of plant responses to stop pathogen invasion, as well as possible applications for improved plant protection. The chapters are organised and written to make an advanced textbook rather than simply a collection of reviews or something resembling conference proceedings. Thus, authors have largely concentrated on a didactic approach and the book should remain useable for several years in spite of the rapid progress in research. The text is aimed at advanced students in the field of plant pathology as well as researchers requiring an integrated picture of plant resistance to pathogens.

Plant diseases worldwide are responsible for billions of dollarsworth of crop losses every year. With less agrochemicals being usedand less new fungicides coming on the market due to environmentalconcerns, more effort is now being put into the use of geneticpotential of plants for pathogen resistance and the development ofinduced or acquired resistance as an environmentally safe means ofdisease control. This comprehensive book examines in depth the development andexploitation of induced resistance. Chapters review currentknowledge of the agents that can elicit induced resistance,genomics, signalling cascades, mechanisms of defence to pests andpathogens and molecular tools. Further chapters consider thetopical application of inducers for disease control, microbialinduction of pathogen resistance, transgenic approaches, pathogenpopulation biology, trade offs associated with induced resistanceand integration of induced resistance in crop protection. The bookconcludes with a consideration of socio-economic driversdetermining the use of induced resistance, and the future ofinduced resistance in crop protection.

Induced resistance offers the prospect of broad spectrum, long-lasting and potentially environmentally-benign disease and pest control in plants. Induced Resistance for Plant Defense 2e provides a comprehensive account of the subject, encompassing the underlying science and methodology, as well as research on application of the phenomenon in practice. The second edition of this important book includes updated coverage of cellular aspects of induced resistance, including signalling and defenses, costs and trade-offs associated with the expression of induced resistance, research aimed at integrating induced resistance into crop protection practice, and induced resistance from a commercial perspective. Current thinking on how beneficial microbes induce resistance in plants has been included in the second edition. The 14 chapters in this book have been written by internationally-respected researchers and edited by three editors with considerable experience of working on induced resistance. Like its predecessor, the second edition of Induced Resistance for Plant Defense will be of great interest to plant pathologists, plant cell and molecular biologists, agricultural scientists, crop protection specialists, and personnel in the agrochemical industry. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological, agricultural, horticultural and forest sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this book on their shelves.