https://ambrook.com/research/studies/plants-have-powers
"Beneath the serene surface of a plant, invisible defenses lie in wait. When a
plant is bitten into by an insect seeking a meal, or infected with a disease,
these defenses leap into action.
Over the past half century, the Green Revolution — a 20th century development
that boosted food production and saved a billion people from starvation,
through the introduction of high-yield crops that are dependent on pesticides
and fertilizers — has pushed these capabilities to the margins.
But as the costs of that choice are becoming clear, from greenhouse gas
emissions to biodiversity loss, scientists are once again looking to harness
plants’ innate defenses with induced resistance, or “plant vaccines,” to help
the plants fight back.
“We don’t have a choice,” said Jurriaan Ton, professor of plant environmental
signalling at University of Sheffield in the UK and co-author of a 2024 paper
on induced resistance. Just as the Green Revolution transformed agriculture in
the last century, “we need a second green revolution that allows us to uphold
our food production in a much more sustainable way.”
Part of that sustainable way may be to boost plant immunity — a phenomenon
called induced resistance — by priming plants’ natural abilities to fight back
against pests and pathogens. “[The innate immune system] is incredibly
important,“ said Ton. “Without it, plants wouldn’t have survived for 500
million years.”"
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-plant-vaccines/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
