Reframing agriculture by light: the role of light-mediated jasmonates/salicylic acid regulation in plant defense, development and beyond
Jiachen Hong, Kaiwei Meng, Hannah Rae Thomas, Youxin Yang, Brandon Williams, Huijia Kang, Yanhong Zhou
Abstract
Light serves not only as essential energy required for plant growth but as a signal, offering plants vital environmental information. Hormone signaling plays a pivotal role in the sophisticated resource allocation system which allows plants to adapt to ever-changing surroundings. Jasmonates (JA) and Salicylic acid (SA) are known as key defensive phytohormones in plants. Numerous physiological studies indicate light treatment impacts plant defense, growth, and development <i>via</i> pathways involving JA and SA. Recent molecular evidence suggests that photoreceptors and various transcription factors in phototransduction are implicated in the signaling of these defensive hormones. Thus, the growth-defense trade-off, which is modulated by light, is partially mediated through JA and SA signaling pathways. In this review, we highlight the recent advances toward understanding the interplay between light signaling and the JA/SA pathways. The mechanisms by which plants respond to biotic stress and abiotic stress in various species such as Arabidopsis, tomato, soybean, and cucumber are reviewed in depth. Furthermore, we discuss the potential opportunities to utilize these basic insights in practical agriculture applications, such as strategic manipulations of artificial lights for flexible and environmentally friendly approaches to enhancing crop growth and managing disease in greenhouses.