Induced Resistance for Sustainable Management of Wheat Diseases

Abstract

The concept of induced resistance (IR) in crop protection has bloomed in the past few decades as it offers improved plant protection in an environmentally safe and economically sound manner. A large number of resistance-inducing compounds of different origins have been reported and tested in different plant-pathogen systems. Several reports indicated that the mechanism of action of these compounds differs from fungicides because they restrict plant pathogen development indirectly via triggering plant defense. Additionally, resistance inducers can be combined with biological control agents and even fungicides, which could result in reduced agrochemical usage in agriculture sector. A number of biological control agents are available for field applications, but further development and effective implementation will require a better understanding of the complex interactions among plants, people, and the environment. To that end, the chapter presents an advanced survey of the nature and practice of biological control based on IR as it is applied to the suppression of wheat diseases.