Linker H1 is an 'epi'centre of plant defence.

The role of linker H1 histones in plant defence has recently been investigated. Sheikh et al. found that Arabidopsis thaliana plants that were lacking all three H1 proteins showed increased disease resistance, but when primed, failed to induce enhanced resistance.

-D-inositol Trisphosphate Signalling in Oomycetes.

Oomycetes are pathogens of plants and animals, which cause billions of dollars of global losses to the agriculture, aquaculture and forestry sectors each year. These organisms superficially resemble fungi, with an archetype being , the cause of late blight of tomatoes and potatoes. Comparison of the physiology of oomycetes with that of other organisms, such as plants and animals, may provide new routes to selectively combat these pathogens.

Hemp Genome Editing-Challenges and Opportunities.

Hemp ( L.) is a multipurpose crop with many important uses including medicine, fibre, food and biocomposites. This plant is currently gaining prominence and acceptance for its valuable applications.

Polycystic Kidney Disease Ryanodine Receptor Domain (PKDRR) Proteins in Oomycetes.

In eukaryotes, two sources of Ca are accessed to allow rapid changes in the cytosolic levels of this second messenger: the extracellular medium and intracellular Ca stores, such as the endoplasmic reticulum. One class of channel that permits Ca entry is the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily, including the polycystic kidney disease (PKD) proteins, or polycystins. Channels that release Ca from intracellular stores include the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate/ryanodine receptor (ITPR/RyR) superfamily.

The induction of Ethylene response factor 3 (ERF3) in potato as a result of co-inoculation with Pseudomonas sp. R41805 and Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833 - a possible role in plant defense.

Colonization of plant rhizosphere/roots by beneficial microorganisms (e.g. plant growth promoting rhizobacteria - PGPR, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi - AMF) confers broad-spectrum resistance to virulent pathogens and is known as induced systemic resistance (ISR) and mycorrhizal-induced resistance (MIR).

Identification of mVOCs from Andean rhizobacteria and field evaluation of bacterial and mycorrhizal inoculants on growth of potato in its center of origin.

Food security (a pressing issue for all nations) faces a threat due to population growth, land availability for growing crops, a changing climate (leading to increases in both abiotic and biotic stresses), heightened consumer awareness of the risks related to the use of agrichemicals, and also the reliance on depleting fossil fuel reserves for their production. Legislative changes in Europe mean that fewer agrichemicals will be available in the future for the control of crop pests and pathogens. The need for the implementation of a more sustainable agricultural system globally, incorporating an integrated approach to disease management, has never been more urgent.

Biological control agents: from field to market, problems, and challenges.

Global food security is vulnerable due to massive growth of the human population, changes in global climate, the emergence of novel/more virulent pathogens, and demands from increasingly discerning consumers for chemical-free, sustainably produced food products. Bacterium-based biological control agents (BCAs), if used as part of an integrated management system, may satisfy the above demands. We focus on the advantages, limitations, problems, and challenges involved in such strategies.

Bioprospecting in potato fields in the Central Andean Highlands: screening of rhizobacteria for plant growth-promoting properties.

The Central Andean Highlands are the center of origin of the potato plant (Solanum tuberosum). Ages of mutualism between potato plants and soil bacteria in this region support the hypothesis that Andean soils harbor interesting plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria. Therefore, the aim of this study was to isolate rhizobacteria from Andean ecosystems, and to identify those with PGP properties.