It may sound strange but plants can remember stress. Scientists are still learning about how plants do this without a brain. But with climate change threatening crops around the world, understanding plant stress memory could help food crops become more resilient. Since their colonisation of the land 500 million years ago, plants have evolved ways to defend themselves against pests and disease. One of their most fascinating abilities is to “remember” stressful encounters and use this memory to defend themselves. This phenomenon, called immune priming, is similar to how vaccines help humans build immunity but is based on different mechanisms.…
Author: Jurriaan Ton, Professor of Plant Environmental Signalling, University of Sheffield
Read More