Study of the plant immune system, including the mechanisms by which plants recognize and respond to pathogens.
Plant defense: This topic covers the basic mechanism plants use to defend themselves against pathogens and insects, such as physical barriers, secondary metabolites, and induced defense responses.
Pathogenesis: This topic covers the process of how pathogens infect and cause disease in plants, including recognition and infection strategies.
Plant-microbe interactions: This topic covers the relationships between plants and various microbes, including beneficial and detrimental interactions such as symbiosis, commensalism, and pathogenesis.
Defense signaling: This topic covers the signaling pathways involved in the plant immune response, including receptor-mediated signaling, phytohormones, and transcriptional regulation.
Resistance genes: This topic covers the genetic basis of plant resistance to pathogens, including resistance genes and their mechanisms of action.
Genetic engineering: This topic covers the application of genetic engineering techniques to modify plant resistance to pathogens.
Plant Cell Wall: The plant cell wall provides the first barrier of defense against pathogen attacks. This topic covers the structure, dynamics, and regulation of the plant cell wall.
Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions: This topic covers how plants are equipped with regulatory mechanisms to perceive and respond to microbial signals.
Systemic Acquired Resistance: This topic covers the long-lasting, heightened immune status that plants develop after being exposed to a pathogen, which enables them to withstand future infection.
Applications: This topic covers the various uses of plant immunology, such as in crop protection, biofuels, and genetic engineering.
Pathogenic Effector Proteins: This topic covers the proteins that a pathogen injects into a plant cell to facilitate its ability to cause disease.
Plant Immunosurveillance: This topic covers the various sensors that recognize invading pathogens in plants.
Host-microbe communication: This topic covers how plants and microbes communicate with one another.
Fungal Pathogenesis: This topic covers the mechanism of fungal infections in plants and how they lead to disease.
Bacterial Pathogenesis: This topic covers the mechanism of bacterial infections in plants and how they lead to disease.
Viral Pathogenesis: This topic covers the mechanism of viral infections in plants and how they lead to disease.
Metabolomics: This topic covers the study of plant metabolism and how this information can be used to understand plant-pathogen interactions.
Proteomics: This topic covers the study of plant protein expression and how this information can be used to understand plant-pathogen interactions.
Bioinformatics: This topic covers the use of computational tools to analyze large-scale data sets generated in plant immunology research.
Environmental factors: This topic covers the effects of environmental factors such as temperature, light, and soil conditions on plant-pathogen interactions.
Molecular Plant Pathology: Deals with the study of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the plant-pathogen interactions.
Cell Biology: Deals with the study of plant cells and tissues, their response and defenses against pathogen attack.
Host-Pathogen Interaction: Deals with the study of the intricate interplay between the plant host and the invading pathogen.
Epidemiology: Deals with the study of the spread and control of plant diseases at the population level.
Resistance and Susceptibility: Deals with the study of the genetic and molecular basis of plant resistance to pathogen attack.
Disease Diagnosis: Involves the identification of the disease-causing organism and the characterization of the symptoms and signs associated with plant diseases.
Integrated Pest Management: Involves the use of a combination of techniques including genetic, cultural, and biological control to manage plant diseases.
Biological Control: Involves the use of natural enemies of the pathogen to control plant disease.
Chemical Control: Involves the use of chemical pesticides to control plant diseases.
Environmental Signaling: Deals with the study of the signaling pathways and their role in the plant defense response against pathogen attack.