Role in plant resistance

Evidence for or against roles of LOX and their products in higher plant growth, development, storage product and secondary metabolite accumulation and senescence is reviewed below. LOX/LOX products also have clear roles in plant resistance to pests as reviewed in Chapter 7. 

As many of the same types of diterpenes play an active role in the resistance of other plants to insect attack (see above), it is interesting to investigate the role of diterpenes in Solidago and its interactions with insects. Solidago has the advantage that the behavior and the ecology of many of the associated insects are well known (80). 

Quinolizidine alkaloids, pure or in mixtures of plant extract, can be used to protect plants against noxious insects. Scientific data has shown that quinolizidine alkaloids play a role in the resistance of some lupine varieties to the pea... 

Hedin, P.A. and Waage, S.K., Roles of flavonoids in plant resistance to insects, in Plant Flavonoids in Biology and Medicine Biochemical, Pharmacological and Structure Activity Relationship, Cody, V., Middleton, E., and Harbome, J.B., Eds., Alan Liss, New York, 1986, 87. 

The Role of Natural Photosensitizers in Plant Resistance to Insects... 

Jackson, P.J., Unkefer, C.J., Doolen, J.A., Watts, K. Robinson, N.J. (1987). Poly(gamma-glutamylcysteinyl) glycine its role in cadmium resistance in plant cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 84, 6619-23. 

Abstract. Allelochemals induced in mycorrhizal plants play an important role in disease resistance. Mycorrhizal associations are the most important symbiosis systems in terrestrial ecosystems and offer many benefits to die host plant. Arbuscular mycorrhizal associations can reduce damage caused by soil and root - borne pathogens. 

Phenolic compounds in plants play a role in disease resistance (Morandi, 1996). Mycorrhizal plants of maize accumulated more phenolic compounds p-hydrocinnamic acid and ferulic acid in roots than non-mycorrhizal plants (Huang, 2003). Mycorrhizal Ri T-DNA transformed carrot roots accumulated more phenolic compounds when challenged by Fusarium oxysporum (Benhamou et al., 1994). All cultivars of pea colonized with G. mosseae accumulated more phenolic acids, and total phenolic accumulation were closely correlated to disease intensity (Singh et al., 2004). 

The use of glucosinolates as bases of resistance against insects seems consistent with their role in disease resistance (39). However, with crops possessing high levels of cyanogens or glucosinolates to effect resistance, the value of these crop plants as food for humans, livestock, and/or poultry is often greatly depreciated because of the toxicity of the end-products (35,36 4Q)-... 

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