Salicylic acid-independent plant defence pathways

Salicylic acid is an important signalling molecule involved in both locally and systemically induced disease resistance responses. Recent advances in our understanding of plant defence signalling have revealed that plants emp loy a network of signal transduction pathways, some of which are independen t of salicylic acid. Evidence is emerging that jasmonic acid and ethylene p lay key roles in these salicylic acid-independent pathways. Cross-talk betw een the salicylic acid-dependent and the salicylic acid-independent pathway s provides great regulatory potential for activating multiple resistance me chanisms in varying combinations.