Review

Use of elicitors as an approach for sustainable agriculture

Laura Mejía-Teniente¹, Irineo Torres-Pacheco¹, Mario M. González-Chavira³, Rosalía V. Ocampo-Velazquez¹, Gilberto Herrera-Ruiz², Angela María Chapa-Oliver¹ and Ramón G. Guevara-González¹*

¹CA Ingeniería de Biosistemas. División de Estudios de Posgrado. Facultad de Ingeniería. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. C.U Cerro de las Campanas, S/N, colonia Las Campanas. C.P. 76010. Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, México.

²CA Instrumentación y Control. División de Estudios de Posgrado. Facultad de Ingeniería. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. C.U Cerro de las Campanas, S/N, colonia Las Campanas. C.P. 76010. Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, México.

³Unidad de Biotecnología. Campo Experimental Bajío, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP)-Celaya. Celaya, Guanajuato, México.

*Corresponding author: E-mail: ramon.guevara@uaq.mx.

Abbreviations: SAR, Systemic acquired resistance; ISR, induced systemic resistance; SA, salicylic acid; JA, jasmonic acid; ET, ethylene; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; MAPKK, MAPK kinase; MAPKKK, MAPK kinase kinase; ETI, effector-triggered immunity; HR, hypersensitive response; PR, pathogenesis related.

Accepted 10 December, 2010

   Abstract

Plant pathogens are responsible for large declines in agricultural production. Their control is carried out mainly by chemical and frequently proposed biological methods to reduce their environmental impact. On the other hand, plant-pathogen or microbe interactions generate multiple signals within plants activating defense mechanism, some of which can also be induced by elicitors (protective molecules). Elicitor-induced plant signaling serves as a guide to a series of intracellular events that end in activation of transduction cascades and hormonal pathways triggering induced resistance (IR) and consequently activation of plant immunity to environmental stresses. So, it is necessary to understand where and how elicitors act in cellular defense mechanism of crops, to improve protection and management for sustainable crop. Therefore this review focused on main topics that guide induced resistance and therefore activation of plant immune response.

Key words: Elicitors, defense mechanism, Immune response, Induced resistance, MAPK.