Disease resistance - Hormone Harmony Clinic

What is disease resistance?

Disease resistance refers to the ability of a plant to limit or withstand the effects of a pathogen or disease. There are several types of disease resistance in plants:

• Horizontal resistance - provides resistance to multiple strains or races of a pathogen. It is generally durable and broad-spectrum.
• Vertical resistance - protects the plant from specific races or strains of a pathogen. It is often controlled by a single gene and can be less durable.
• Qualitative resistance - resistance that is usually controlled by one or a few major genes. It is often strain-specific.
• Quantitative resistance - resistance that is controlled by multiple minor genes. It provides partial resistance and is more durable.

Plants have various complex physical and chemical defense mechanisms against pathogens. These can include:

• Structural barriers like thick cell walls, cuticles, bark and cork that physically block pathogens
• Biochemicals that inhibit or kill pathogens, including enzymes, proteins, and secondary metabolites
• Systemic acquired resistance - activated defense response after an initial exposure to a pathogen

Breeding disease resistant crop varieties is crucial for sustainable agriculture. Methods like molecular marker-assisted breeding and genetic engineering can introduce disease resistance genes into susceptible crop lines from wild relatives or unrelated species.

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In summary, disease resistance allows plants to withstand pathogen attack through physical and chemical barriers, as well as systemic acquired resistance after initial exposure. Breeding resistant varieties using advanced biotechnologies is important for food security. Hormone optimization therapies can also intrinsically improve disease resilience in humans.