Classification of Elicitors

The type and structure of elicitors vary greatly. Elicitors can be classified into abiotic elicitors or biotic elicitors on the basis of their nature . The classification of elicitors is presented in Table 6.4. Abiotic elicitors are substances of non-biological origin, predominantly inorganic salts like Cu, Cd, and Ca, as well as physical factors, osmotic stress, synthetic organic compounds, and so on. Biotic elicitors are substances of biological origin. They 

Directly released by microorganisms and recognized by the plant cell (enzymes, cell wall fragments) 

Formed by action of microorganisms on plant cell wall (fragments of pectins etc.) 

Formed by the action of plant enzymes on microbial cell walls (chitosan, glucans) 

Compounds, endogenous and constitutive in nature, formed or released by the plant cell in response to various stimuli 

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Table 6.4 Classification of elicitors in plant cell cultures.

This classification, established on the basis of observations at the macroscopic scale, only takes into account the phenomena of chemical mediation at the molecular scale and the biochemical mechanisms involved. For example, how to classify compounds as elicitors which will activate the natural defense mechanisms of plants The knowledge acquired in recent years in chemical ecology, by highlighting species-specific relations, the structural characterization and mode of action (attractants, repellents, elicitors, stimulants, etc.) of chemical mediators, have lead researchers involved in bio-control to propose a classification based on the mode of action of the chemical mediators ... 

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