Decoding the Internal and External Drivers of Plant Defence Memory

2026-07-22

Plants excel in adapting to changing environments, which relies on their ability to store and integrate information from previously encountered stresses. Without a cellular immune system or direct communication with their offspring, plants use alternative pathways to obtain defence memory and prepare their progeny against persistent threats. Biotic stress by pests and diseases triggers changes in the epigenetic makeup and root-associated microbiome of plants, resulting in a multi-faceted defence memory that enhances resistance to recurrent attacks. Despite the potential of these mechanisms to revolutionise crop protection, a comprehensive understanding remains elusive. PlantMemo will transform our understanding of plant defence memory by exploring the internal (epigenetic) and external (microbial) pathways involved. Focusing on both annual and perennial plants, the project will answer the following questions: 1. How do plants write, maintain, and erase epigenetic memory? 2. What are the genetic, metabolic, and microbial drivers of external memory? 3. How do internal and external memory pathways interact and contribute to disease protection? PlantMemo will combine the latest epigenomic profiling technology with novel reverse-(epi)genetics approaches to reveal the epigenetic network driving internal memory. Simultaneously, it will develop high-throughput phenotyping protocols to screen genetic mapping populations for key genes in the conditioning of disease-suppressive soils, which drives external defence memory, and link these to root exudation chemistry and microbiota. The project will further integrate these insights by exploring the interplay between internal and external defence memory and their respective roles in intra- and inter-generational stress adaptation. By uniting multipiple biological disciplines, PlantMemo will uncover how plants adapt to the unpredictable and intermittent nature of biotic stress, paving the way for new crop protection technology.

United Kingdom (UK)

2026-02-01