Plant resistance: Scientific basis and latest research progress

Authors: KUMARASWAMY, SUNIL - Oklahoma State University; Huang, Yinghua

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/17/2026
Publication Date: 4/1/2026
Citation: Kumaraswamy, S., Huang, Y. 2026. Plant resistance: Scientific basis and latest research progress. Frontiers in Plant Science. 17. Article 1789793. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1789793.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1789793

Interpretive Summary: Plants make the oxygen we breathe and provide about 80% of the food we eat. Yet every year, crops around the world are under constant attack from insects, diseases, and harsh environmental conditions. These threats destroy up to 40% of global food production and cause an estimated $220 billion in economic losses annually. Protecting plants is therefore essential to feed a growing global population. Farmers rely on high-quality seeds and improved crop varieties that can produce abundant, nutritious food while withstanding pests, diseases, drought, and other stresses. While pesticides have helped control these problems, their overuse can harm the environment, beneficial organisms, and human health. This has created an urgent need for safer, more sustainable ways to protect crops. Fortunately, many plants already have built-in defenses. Through millions of years of evolution, plants have developed natural resistance to insects and diseases, allowing them to survive without human intervention. By understanding and strengthening these natural defenses, scientists can help crops protect themselves. Using plant resistance can increase yields, improve food security, and reduce the need for chemical pesticides, leading to healthier food and a cleaner environment. This paper explains how plants defend themselves, highlights recent discoveries in plant resistance to pests and diseases, and explores how these natural traits can be used to develop crops that are better able to protect themselves. These approaches play a key role in integrated pest management, which combines biological, genetic, and ecological tools to control pests in an environmentally responsible way. By promoting plant-based and eco-friendly solutions, this work supports the shift toward more sustainable farming systems that protect crops, preserve natural resources, and ensure a reliable food supply for future generations.

Technical Abstract: Plant resistance to insects and diseases is a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture, reducing dependence on chemical pesticides and enhancing long-term crop resilience. Plant resistance is a suite of constitutive and inducible defenses, including structural barriers, biochemical defenses, signaling pathways activated upon recognition of pest- or pathogen-derived cues. Understanding how plant plants perceive biotic stress and mobilize these defenses – through secondary metabolite production, reinforcement of physical barriers, and coordinated regulation of defense genes, is essential for designing effective management strategies Host plant resistance to insect herbivores exemplifies how specific plant traits can deter feeding, limit pest survival, or reduce reproduction. Advances in biotechnology, such as CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing, RNA interference (RNAi), and transgenic approaches, have accelerated the development of crops with enhanced and durable resistance. These technologies enable precise manipulation of key resistance genes and pathways. Likewise, the integration of traditional methods with marker-assisted selection and genomic selection is improving the efficiency and accuracy of developing resistant cultivars. This review highlights the importance of dissecting plant-insect and plant-pathogen interactions at the molecular, biochemical, physiological levels to inform robust resistance management. Future research that leverages multi-omics approaches and integrates resistance traits with agronomic performance will be pivotal for advancing sustainable pest management and ensure global food security. Together, these insights underscore the essential role of plant resistance in integrated pest management and crop improvement programs.