26 - Different mechanisms of signaling pathways for plant protection from diseases by fungi

Abstract

To protect the plant from various diseases and pests, modern agriculture depends on mainly chemical pesticides or fungicides. But due to indiscriminate use of these chemicals and rise of resistance to chemicals in pests and pathogens, scientists shifted the attention from chemical pesticides to alternative approaches for crop protection. To replace synthetic chemical pesticides, eco-friendly sustainable agrisystem is urgent and scientists paid much attention to fungi as they are potent biocontrol agents (BCA) for plant protection from several pathogens. Several fungi such as Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Aspergillus, mycorrhizal associations, yeasts, etc. have been recognized as potent fungal biocontrol agents (FBCAs), and simultaneously they already have been applied in agricultural fields for protecting crops or plants. Mechanisms of direct or indirect plant pathogen suppressing or killing and induction or increasing of plant immunity or resistance have been studied. Cell signaling such as salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene pathways (ET) MAPK, G protein pathways, and PR (pathogenesis-related) proteins, elicitors, ISR (induced systematic resistance), SAR (systemic acquired resistance), etc. are involved in fungal-induced disease resistance of plants. Cross-talking among different cell signaling pathways are also noted. Transgenic approaches and elicitor approaches by FBCA for crop protection have been also summarized here.