Regulatory Roles of Non-Coding RNAs in Balancing Plant Growth and Defence

Balancing growth and immunity pose a fundamental challenge for plants, as investment in defence mechanisms often comes at the cost of growth and development, and vice versa. Ecological theories, particularly those based on principles of economic optimality, propose that plants strategically allocate resources between these competing processes to optimize fitness. Recent advances in multi-omics technologies have provided deep insights into the complex molecular architecture governing growth-defence trade-offs, identifying transcriptional cascades as key regulators of resource allocation. Within this regulatory landscape, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as critical modulators, fine-tuning the expression of genes involved in both developmental and immune pathways. This review synthesizes current understanding of how ncRNAs mediate the growth-defence balance in plants. We discuss specific ncRNAs that act as regulatory hubs within feedback circuits, their interactions with phytohormonal signalling networks, and the potential of harnessing these mechanisms for precision crop improvement. Ultimately, decoding the functional framework of ncRNA-driven regulation presents new opportunities to develop high-yielding, stress-resilient crop varieties that can bypass the constraints of conventional growth-defence trade-offs, thereby supporting sustainable agricultural productivity amid growing environmental pressures.