The molecular biology of disease resistance.

Abstract

Plants have evolved with pathogens and insect pests for millions of years. It is therefore not surprising that a particular plant is resistant to most of them. When certain environmental conditions exist, however, virulent pathogens can cause damage to plant tissues both in the field and in storage. Indeed, modern intensive agriculture has often exacerbated the occurrence of disease outbreaks by presenting the pest with an intense monoculture of genetically identical plants grown in close proximity under high water and fertilizer regimes. Plant pathologists and entomologists are faced with the job of preventing economic losses in these contrived situations. Historically, the most desirable and effective strategy has been the incorporation of disease resistance genes into commercially acceptable cultivars. In the past ten years, the tools of molecular biology have been applied to the study of the mechanisms accounting for disease resistance.