Scientists share viewpoints on the role of glycoproteins in cell wall network
Tag - defence
Juniper Kiss
Leaf trichomes may avoid water stress in part by impeding gall formation
Trichomes seem to help prevent the larger gall types that lead to greater water loss.
Erin Zimmerman
Role of extensin arabinosylation in root defence
Extensins are hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins thought to strengthen the plant cell wall, one of the first barriers against pathogens, through intra- and intermolecular cross-links. The glycan moiety of extensins is...
Alex Assiry
When does infection become protection?
Within plants live endophytic fungi. Some cause disease in insects, while others seem to have no effect. Yet a new meta-analysis shows even these 'neutral' fungi could act as bodyguards for plants.
Alun Salt
Should I fight or should I grow? Cytokinins in defence-growth trade-offs
Constitutive defence activation in plants leads to resistance to a broad-spectrum of pathogens, but also frequently to stunted growth and reduced seed sets; how do plants decide whether to defend against infection or to...
botanyone
Silicon enhances cellular defences in root tissues of cotton after pathogen inoculation
Silicon has been shown to enhance the resistance of plants to fungal and bacterial pathogens, however the underlying mechanisms have not been studied in detail in most plants. Whan et al. compare cellular and...
Defence dichotomy: coping with herbivores in air and water (Review)
Plant defence against herbivores is a crucial theme in the evolution of both plants and animals, yet it is expressed very differently in water and on land. Spines, hairs, and distance signalling are common in land...
Effects of a native parasitic plant on an exotic invader decrease with increasing host age
Infection by parasitic plants has been considered as an effective method for controlling invasive plants because the parasites partially or completely absorb water, nutrients, and carbohydrates from their host plants...
AoBPLANTS
Sesquiterpene lactones and herbivore resistance
Ahern and Whitney use common garden experiments with common cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium (Asteraceae), to examine relationships between stereochemical variation in sesquiterpene lactones, herbivore damage and plant...
How do plants know where they should defend?
If you’re a plant what is the best way to defend yourself, given that you can’t run from attackers? I’ve had a think and I went for being massive, with armour-planting, spikes, thorns and stings, along...
Mechanisms behind optimal defence patterns (Invited Review)
The optimal defence hypothesis (ODH) predicts that tissues that contribute most to a plant’s fitness and have the highest probability of being attacked will be the parts best defended. In general, young tissues show...
Plants combat plants
Question: when is a cannon not a cannon? Answer: when it’s a ‘high-pressure long-range deodorant spray’(!). For such is the description of the cannons currently being deployed in China to combat the malodorous...
Nigel Chaffey
