Summary: The reduction in crop yield caused by pathogens and pests presents a significant challenge to global food security. Genetic engineering, which aims to bolster plant defence mechanisms, emerges as a cost‐effective solution for disease control. However, this approach often incurs a growth penalty, known as the growth‐defence trade‐off. The precise molecular mechanisms governing this phenomenon are still not completely understood, but they generally fall under two main hypotheses: a “passive” redistribution of metabolic resources, or an “active” regulatory choice to optimize plant fitness. Despite the knowledge gaps, considerable practical endeavours are in the process of disentangling growth from defence. The plant microbiome, encompassing both above‐ and below‐ground components, plays a pivotal role in fostering plant growth and resilience to stresses. There is increasing evidence which indicates that plants maintain intimate associations with diverse, specifically selected microbial communities. Meta‐analyses have unveiled well‐coordinated, two‐way communications between plant shoots and roots, showcasing the capacity of plants to actively manage their microbiota for balancing growth with immunity, especially in response to pathogen incursions. This review centers on successes in making use of specific root‐associated microbes to mitigate the growth‐defence trade‐off, emphasizing pivotal advancements in unravelling the mechanisms behind plant growth and defence. These findings illuminate promising avenues for future research and practical applications.

SIF2 is critical for Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) resistance to bacteria by regulating stomatal immunity, belongs to the FLS2/BAK1 immunity receptor compl

One grand challenge for studying plant biotic and abiotic stress responses is to optimize plant growth and plasticity under variable environmental constraints, which in the long run benefits agricultural production. However, efforts in promoting plant immunity are often accompanied by compromised morphological “syndromes” such as growth retardation, sterility, and reduced yield. Such a trade-off is dictated by complex signaling driven by secondary messengers and phytohormones. Salicylic acid (SA) is a well-known phytohormone essential for basal immunity and systemic acquired resistance. Interestingly, recent updates suggest that external environmental cues, nutrient status, developmental stages, primary metabolism, and breeding strategies attribute an additional layer of control over SA-dependent signaling, and, hence, plant performance against pathogens. In this review, these external and internal factors are summarized, focusing on their specific roles on SA biosynthesis and downstream signaling leading to immunity. A few considerations and future opportunities are highlighted to improve plant fitness with minimal growth compensation.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients for plant growth and development. PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE 1 (PHR1) is the central transcriptional regulator that controls a series of plant adaptive strategies to tackle P limitation in natural ecosystems ( Paz-Ares et al. 2021). Notably, PHR1 had also been shown to intersect with phytohormone signaling, including jasmonate ( Khan et al. 2016) and salicylic acid ( Castrillo et al. 2017). These observations expanded the scope of PHR1 function beyond nutrient homeostasis. However, the signaling components that lead to diverged downstream physiological processes remain largely unexplored. In new work, Kunrong He and colleagues (He et al. 2023) focused on PHR1-dependent jasmonate signaling and identified a set of partner transcriptional regulators specific for the P-deficiency-induced jasmonate response (see Fig. 1).

Ching Chan, Patrice Salomé; What makes a good reference? First steps toward a Chlamydomonas pangenome, The Plant Cell, , koac361, https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell