Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest management
Plant–insect interactions pose a major threat to global food security and ecological stability. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying plant immunity against herbivorous insects, with emphasis on structural defenses, secondary metaboli...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1599450/full |
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| author | Prabhakaran Vasantha-Srinivasan Mi Young Noh Ki Beom Park Tae Yoon Kim Woo-Jin Jung Sengottayan Senthil-Nathan Yeon Soo Han |
| author_facet | Prabhakaran Vasantha-Srinivasan Mi Young Noh Ki Beom Park Tae Yoon Kim Woo-Jin Jung Sengottayan Senthil-Nathan Yeon Soo Han |
| author_sort | Prabhakaran Vasantha-Srinivasan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plant–insect interactions pose a major threat to global food security and ecological stability. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying plant immunity against herbivorous insects, with emphasis on structural defenses, secondary metabolites, and hormone signaling pathways including Jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and ethylene. It highlights key advances in understanding defense signaling crosstalk, effector-triggered responses, and the role of microbiota and environmental cues. The review further discusses insect counterstrategies and explores cutting-edge technologies-CRISPR/Cas9, RNA interference, and metabolic engineering that are reshaping pest management. However, challenges remain, including limited field validation of engineered traits, ecological trade-offs, and regulatory hurdles. We conclude by outlining future research directions focused on multi-omics integration, climate-resilient defense networks, and ethical deployment of plant biotechnologies within sustainable agroecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a56f57c2a71b453d855e5ebafa7b6854 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-a56f57c2a71b453d855e5ebafa7b68542025-08-20T03:30:04ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-07-011610.3389/fpls.2025.15994501599450Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest managementPrabhakaran Vasantha-Srinivasan0Mi Young Noh1Ki Beom Park2Tae Yoon Kim3Woo-Jin Jung4Sengottayan Senthil-Nathan5Yeon Soo Han6Department of Applied Biology, Institute of Environmentally Friendly Agriculture (IEFA), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Forest Resources, AgriBio Institute of Climate Change Management, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of KoreaResearch & Development Center, Invirustech Co., Inc, Gwangju, Republic of KoreaFarmInTech Co., Inc, Gokseong-gun, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Environmentally-Friendly Agriculture (IEFA), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of KoreaDivision of Bio-pesticides and Environmental Toxicology, Sri Paramakalyani Centre for Excellence in Environmental Sciences, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, IndiaDepartment of Applied Biology, Institute of Environmentally Friendly Agriculture (IEFA), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of KoreaPlant–insect interactions pose a major threat to global food security and ecological stability. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying plant immunity against herbivorous insects, with emphasis on structural defenses, secondary metabolites, and hormone signaling pathways including Jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and ethylene. It highlights key advances in understanding defense signaling crosstalk, effector-triggered responses, and the role of microbiota and environmental cues. The review further discusses insect counterstrategies and explores cutting-edge technologies-CRISPR/Cas9, RNA interference, and metabolic engineering that are reshaping pest management. However, challenges remain, including limited field validation of engineered traits, ecological trade-offs, and regulatory hurdles. We conclude by outlining future research directions focused on multi-omics integration, climate-resilient defense networks, and ethical deployment of plant biotechnologies within sustainable agroecosystems.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1599450/fullplant-insect interactionsplant immunitysustainable pest managementbiotechnological approachesclimate changeplant defense |
| spellingShingle | Prabhakaran Vasantha-Srinivasan Mi Young Noh Ki Beom Park Tae Yoon Kim Woo-Jin Jung Sengottayan Senthil-Nathan Yeon Soo Han Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest management Frontiers in Plant Science plant-insect interactions plant immunity sustainable pest management biotechnological approaches climate change plant defense |
| title | Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest management |
| title_full | Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest management |
| title_fullStr | Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest management |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest management |
| title_short | Plant immunity to insect herbivores: mechanisms, interactions, and innovations for sustainable pest management |
| title_sort | plant immunity to insect herbivores mechanisms interactions and innovations for sustainable pest management |
| topic | plant-insect interactions plant immunity sustainable pest management biotechnological approaches climate change plant defense |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1599450/full |
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