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One of the major limitations to plant productivity worldwide
is plant diseases. Fungal and bacterial infections reduce yield
by diverting the plants resources to pathogen growth.
Additionally, pathogens may damage tissues as part of their
mechanisms for invading host tissues. Most plants are resistant
to most pathogens. The fact suggests that plants have the
ability to mount defenses against pathogens unless those
mechanisms are suppressed by the pathogens.
Mendel has identified several genes that confer broad spectrum
disease resistance on a wide variety of plants. In the above
image, the transgenic plants on the right are resistant to
powdery mildew, whereas the control plants on the left are
heavily infected.
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