New research shows that common bean plants can detect molecules in caterpillar saliva and release a scent that attracts ...

Common bean plants, a global food staple, possess a remarkable defense mechanism. When caterpillars chew their leaves, the ...

Sometimes, a plant is fighting back in a way that is more or less invisible–such as summoning help from another creature to ...

Tomato plants possess a sophisticated system to protect themselves against herbivores: the signaling peptide Systemin triggers a cascade of plant defense responses. Subscribe to our newsletter for the ...

For about half the global population, rice is the staple food. Yet every year, a fungal disease—rice blast—destroys harvests ...

The more a plant species invests in defense, the less potential it has for growth, according to a study. Research made possible by open science provides new insights into plant adaptation and ...

In the microscopic battlefield of plant-microbe interactions, plants are constantly fighting off invading bacteria. New research reveals just how clever these bacterial invaders can be. In the ...

Almost 400,000 plant species exist, and every one of them is threatened by organisms ranging in size from microscopic fungi and bacteria all the way up to elephants searching for something to eat.

Throughout evolution, plants have continuously adapted to survive in changing environments. Apart from complex structural changes, plants have also developed various defense strategies against ...