red-light signalling enhances Fusarium verticillioides resistance

In plants, phytochrome B (PHYB) and phytochrome C (PHYC) are the primary photoreceptors responsible for perceiving red light. Thus, PHYB and PHYC are very important for shade avoidance responses under dense planting conditions. Several studies have shown that overexpression of PHYB, PHYC, or hyperactive variations of PHYB can reduce plant height and ear height, conferring attenuated shade avoidance responses under dense planting conditions and potential for breeding high-density tolerant maize cultivars.Therefore, enhancing the red light signal may be an effective disease management strategy for dense plantings. Here, we used a Fusarium verticillioides-Maize interaction model to investigate the utility potential of manipulating the red light signaling cascade to improve disease resistance for dense maize plantings and to study the underlying mechanism.