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Review

The Past, Present, and Future of Plant Activators Targeting the Salicylic Acid Signaling Pathway

1
State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
2
College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Genes 2024, 15(9), 1237; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15091237
Submission received: 16 July 2024 / Revised: 16 September 2024 / Accepted: 18 September 2024 / Published: 23 September 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Insights into Plant-Pathogen Interactions)

Abstract

Plant activators have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional crop protection chemicals for managing crop diseases due to their unique mode of action. By priming the plant’s innate immune system, these compounds can induce disease resistance against a broad spectrum of pathogens without directly inhibiting their proliferation. Key advantages of plant activators include prolonged defense activity, lower effective dosages, and negligible risk of pathogen resistance development. Among the various defensive pathways targeted, the salicylic acid (SA) signaling cascade has been extensively explored, leading to the successful development of commercial activators of systemic acquired resistance, such as benzothiadiazole, for widespread application in crop protection. While the action sites of many SA-targeting activators have been preliminarily mapped to different steps along the pathway, a comprehensive understanding of their precise mechanisms remains elusive. This review provides a historical perspective on plant activator development and outlines diverse screening strategies employed, from whole-plant bioassays to molecular and transgenic approaches. We elaborate on the various components, biological significance, and regulatory circuits governing the SA pathway while critically examining the structural features, bioactivities, and proposed modes of action of classical activators such as benzothiadiazole derivatives, salicylic acid analogs, and other small molecules. Insights from field trials assessing the practical applicability of such activators are also discussed. Furthermore, we highlight the current status, challenges, and future prospects in the realm of SA-targeting activator development globally, with a focus on recent endeavors in China. Collectively, this comprehensive review aims to describe existing knowledge and provide a roadmap for future research toward developing more potent plant activators that enhance crop health.
Keywords: plant activators; salicylic acid signaling pathway; systemic acquired resistance; plant disease resistance; mode of action plant activators; salicylic acid signaling pathway; systemic acquired resistance; plant disease resistance; mode of action

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Naz, M.; Zhang, D.; Liao, K.; Chen, X.; Ahmed, N.; Wang, D.; Zhou, J.; Chen, Z. The Past, Present, and Future of Plant Activators Targeting the Salicylic Acid Signaling Pathway. Genes 2024, 15, 1237. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15091237

AMA Style

Naz M, Zhang D, Liao K, Chen X, Ahmed N, Wang D, Zhou J, Chen Z. The Past, Present, and Future of Plant Activators Targeting the Salicylic Acid Signaling Pathway. Genes. 2024; 15(9):1237. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15091237

Chicago/Turabian Style

Naz, Misbah, Dongqin Zhang, Kangcen Liao, Xulong Chen, Nazeer Ahmed, Delu Wang, Jingjiang Zhou, and Zhuo Chen. 2024. "The Past, Present, and Future of Plant Activators Targeting the Salicylic Acid Signaling Pathway" Genes 15, no. 9: 1237. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15091237

APA Style

Naz, M., Zhang, D., Liao, K., Chen, X., Ahmed, N., Wang, D., Zhou, J., & Chen, Z. (2024). The Past, Present, and Future of Plant Activators Targeting the Salicylic Acid Signaling Pathway. Genes, 15(9), 1237. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15091237

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