Abstract:
Biotic stress caused by pathogens, insects, and other harmful organisms poses significant threats to agricultural productivity and food security. Understanding the genetic basis of host plant resistance offers promising solutions for sustainable crop protection. This study explores the intricate genetic mechanisms that enable plants to resist biotic stress, focusing on key genes, signaling pathways, and molecular interactions. Advances in genomics, transcriptomics, and gene-editing technologies have unveiled resistance (R) genes and plant immune responses. Furthermore, we highlight the role of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), expression regulators, and secondary metabolites in enhancing resistance. Integrating these genetic insights into modern breeding programs can accelerate the development of resilient crop varieties, ensuring agricultural sustainability in the face of evolving biotic challenges. This report provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge, emphasizing the potential of genetic engineering and molecular breeding in enhancing host plant resistance to biotic stress.
Biography:
Dr. Yinghua Huang is a Research Geneticist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and serves as Lead Scientist for the Plant Genetics Program. Before joined the USDA in 2002, he served as a faculty member for Oklahoma State University and now remains as an adj. Professor at the University. He serves as member of Editorial Boards for several scientific Journals and has published more than 100 research articles. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences from Michigan Technological University. His scientific background is in plant genetics, molecular biology and he has considerable research experience in plant biotechnology, genomics, and crop breeding. His scientific interests focus in the areas of plant genetics and molecular biology, especially as related to gene identification and genomics-assisted breeding, genetic mechanisms underlying host resistance to pest insects and diseases, and development of dedicated bioenergy crops. The overall goals of the research in his lab are to conduct basic studies to enhance our understanding of the biological processes in plants and to apply newly developing biotechnologies to facilitating genetic improvement of crop plants and to improve the production system for a better utilization of agricultural and natural resources as food, feed and fuel.
