Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

The Plant Infection Test: Spray and Wound-Mediated Inoculation with the Plant Pathogen Magnaporthe Grisea
Published on: August 4, 2018
Digest: Plant-pathogen coevolution extends to shifts in plant breeding systems
1Biological Interactions and Crop Protection Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Plants and their pathogens are in a coevolutionary arms race. Some pathogens, such as anther smuts, use their host plants' pollinators for spore dispersal. In the plant Dianthus pavonius, gynodioecy (having female and hermaphroditic plants) has evolved to reduce flowering duration and therefore limit exposure to anther smut pathogens. Bruns et al. (2019) show that this shift in breeding system has evolved as a disease escape mechanism.
Related Concept Videos
Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Plant Tissue Culture
Plant Cells and Tissues
Plant Hormones
Seedless Vascular Plants
Meristems and Plant Growth

