Researchers Present Bacteria that Boost Plant Immunity

Researchers from the University of Delaware discovered beneficial bacteria from soil that help protect plants from disease pathogens. The bacteria's protection mechanism works by signaling the plant's leaf pores to close when pathogens attempt to invade a plant through the tiny open pores in its leaves. The findings underscore both the importance of root-based processes in plant defense and the potential for bolstering plant immunity naturally through the emerging field of probiotics.

The research, which explored the interaction between the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis and the laboratory plant Arabidopsis thaliana, is published in the August issue of The Plant Journal.

See the University of Delaware's news release at http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2013/aug/beneficial-soil-bacteria-082712.html.