Disease resistance

What is disease resistance?

Disease resistance refers to the ability of a plant to restrict, slow, or withstand the progression of a pathogen or insect that could cause disease. There are several types of disease resistance in plants:

• Horizontal resistance - provides resistance to multiple strains or races of a pathogen. This type of resistance is generally governed by multiple genes and is long-lasting.


• Vertical resistance - protects the plant from specific strains or races of a pathogen or insect. This resistance tends to be governed by one or a few genes and can be less durable over time.


• Induced resistance - activated after initial exposure to certain pathogens, providing enhanced defense against subsequent attacks.

Plants have various complex physical and biochemical mechanisms to provide disease resistance including:

• Structural barriers like thick cell walls, cuticles, bark to block entry


• Chemical barriers like antimicrobial compounds, toxins


• Hypersensitive response - rapid, localized plant cell death to restrict spread of infection


• Systemic acquired resistance - heightened immune state after a local infection

Breeding crop varieties with strong disease resistance is crucial for achieving healthy, productive yields. However, pathogens can evolve to overcome resistant varieties over time. Therefore, developing durable disease resistance is an ongoing challenge. Integrating multiple genetic resistance sources into elite germplasm is a promising approach.

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