Role of elicitors to initiate the induction of systemic resistance in plants to biotic stress

Abstract

Biotic stress affects crop yield and production. It is essential to acquire the knowledge necessary for designing resistance in host plants by understanding the interaction between pathogens and the host. Salicylic acid and jasmonic acid are principal regulators of interconnected signaling pathways of plant defense mechanisms to overcome stress conditions. Plants on pathogen attack experience transient increase in the reactive oxygen species production which in turn activates local programmed cell death and confers systemic resistance. Disease management is largely done by chemical compounds like fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides. However, these chemicals are hazardous to the environment and living beings hence it is necessary to search for novel harmless means of disease control. Elicitors are molecules that initiate systemic acquired resistance or induced systemic resistance in the host by inducing the expression of pathogenesis-related genes and protecting plants from diseases. This review discusses biotic stress, elicitors, and elicitor-receptor mediated defense mechanism acquired for systemic resistance and in this context, it attempts to draw the attention of the researchers to find novel elicitors as disease control alternatives.

Keywords

• Systemic resistance
• Biotic stress
• Pathogenesis-related gene
• Elicitors
• Hypersensitive response