Benzoxazinoids (BXs) modulate soil microbiota to promote foliar disease resistance
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlant roots exude organic compounds such as benzoxazinoids (BXs) to the surrounding soil. BXs modulate soil microbiota, which in turn regulate plant growth. In this study, Stengele et al. show that BX-modulated soil microbiota also promote plant immunity. The authors first pretreated soil with BXs by…
Secondary metabolites from plants can affect nematode behavior via microbial volatile signaling cues
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlant parasitic nematodes such as root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are thought to use chemical cues from the plant to locate their favorable hosts. These chemical cues can code for host specificity and can drive the attraction or repulsion of nematodes. Recently, Wu et al. investigated the role of benzoxazinoids…