Nanjing Agricultural University researchers reported how they
improvedsoybeans resistance to/Phytophthora/without compromising growth.
Their findings are published in/Phytopathology Research/.

A plant's immune system is turned on when it perceives the presence of
pathogens. An active immune system impacts growth, making it a challenge
to balance plant immunity and growth in breeding disease resistance. The
research team explored using soybean (/Glycine max/) polyamine oxidase
(GmPAO), which produces hydrogen peroxide by oxidizing spermidine and
spermine./Phytophthora sojae/boosts the production of these two
substrates, and thus causes GmPAO-mediated polyamine catabolism during
infection.

When/GmPA/O was overexpressed in transgenic soybeans, more spermidine
and spermine were produced after exposure to/P. sojae/, compared with
non-transgenic counterparts. The transgenic soybean exhibited enhanced
resistance to various/P. sojae/isolates and improved production of
hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, this novel approach can be used to attain
fast defense responses while minimizing growth penalties under normal
conditions, with a clear mechanism that promotes hydrogen peroxide
production in plants through pathogen-activated substrates.

[phytopatholres.biomedcentral.com]