Plant Science Colloquium with Dr. Chhana Ullah

In nature, plants are subjected to a diverse range of harmful pathogens from multiple kingdoms of life. To cope with diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, and nematodes, plants possess sophisticated defense mechanisms. There has been considerable research on how plants activate defenses by recognizing pathogen attacks through receptors, and how successful pathogens have evolved to avoid host recognition through the secretion of effectors. Small molecules, conserved across the plant kingdom or synthesized by specific plant taxa, play significant roles in plant immunity. Unlike the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, many trees and cereal crop plants are known to synthesize higher amounts of secondary metabolites with a greater diversity. In my presentation, I will highlight a group of secondary metabolites (e.g., flavonoid phytoalexins) synthesized by poplar and rice, how their induction is regulated by hormones, and their functions in defense against native pathogens.