Precision targeting: The dawn of artificially customized disease resistance

PLoS Pathog. 2026 Feb 10;22(2):e1013942. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013942. eCollection 2026 Feb.

Abstract

Advanced plant disease management strategies are essential to sustainable agriculture and global food security. Advances in plant immunity have given rise to a variety of innovative disease control strategies, such as NLR gene transfer, RNA silencing technology, and CRISPR/Cas9-based gene disruption, as well as the use of immunity inducers. Recently, several novel resistance strategies, including the bioengineering of immunoreceptors, protease-triggered resistance design, and the sentinel approach, have enabled the customized development of disease resistance traits. These new approaches envisage a new paradigm of precision-targeted, artificially engineered resistance to enhance crop protection.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • CRISPR-Cas Systems
  • Crops, Agricultural* / genetics
  • Crops, Agricultural* / immunology
  • Disease Resistance* / genetics
  • Disease Resistance* / immunology
  • Plant Diseases* / genetics
  • Plant Diseases* / immunology
  • Plant Diseases* / prevention & control
  • Plant Immunity* / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified* / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified* / immunology