Plant Immunology

微生物疾病和害虫降低产量，毁坏作物，对农业造成重大制约，产生重大经济和社会影响。每年，加拿大的农作物农民都通过喷洒对环境不友好的杀虫剂来对抗疾病。就像了解我们自己的免疫系统对于开发有效的药物和疫苗很重要一样，了解植物免疫系统对于有效地管理作物疾病也很重要。从这个项目中获得的知识将促进我们对植物如何防御病原体感染的理解，并可能为提高作物产量和减少化学品使用的农业实践提供信息。

Microbial diseases and pests reduce yields and ruin crops, placing major constraints on agriculture that have significant economic and social impacts. Every year, Canadian crop farmers battle diseases by spraying fields with environmentally-unfriendly pesticides. Just like understanding our own immune system is important for developing effective drugs and vaccines, understanding the plant immune system is important for managing crop diseases effectively. Knowledge gained from this project will advance our understanding of how plants defend against pathogen infection and may inform agricultural practices to improve crop yield and reduce chemical use.