The DOI matches its Crossref record; 79 of the 79 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Multiple effects of chitosan on plant systems: Solid science or hype
Abstract
Chitosan, a naturally occurring polymer, became available in the 1980s in industrial quantities enabling it to be tested as an agricultural chemical. A usual procedure for developing agricultural chemicals starts by testing a number of different chemically synthesized molecules on a targeted biological system. Alternately, chitosan has been investigated as a single natural molecule assayed with numerous biological systems. This report describes the unique properties of the molecule and its oligomers, primarily in plant defense, additionally in yield increase, induction of cell death and stomatal closing. The plant plasma membrane and nuclear chromatin have been proposed as targets, though chitosan oligomers enter most regions of the cell. Subsequent changes occur in: cell membranes, chromatin, DNA, calcium, MAP kinase, oxidative burst, reactive oxygen species (ROS), callose, pathogenesis related (PR) genes/proteins, and phytoalexins. Chitosan oligomer mode(s) of action are proposed for different plant systems. Chitosan efficacy was based on documentation from published data. Attention was given to how chitosan, either applied externally or released by fungal inoculum, is transferred into plant cells and its subsequent action upon membrane and/or chromatin components. Within is a proposed scheme describing chitosan generation, signaling routes and mechanisms of defense gene activation. Examples of beneficial chitosan applications to major crop/food plants were included.
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“Treatment with chitosan mimics an attack from a fungal pathogen which activates the plant defense response [26].”
From Ecdysteroid Content and Therapeutic Activity in Elicited Spinach Accessions (2020) · cites this paper as [26]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Hadwiger, L. A.
- Affiliations
- Washington State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hadwiger, Lee A.
- Venue
- Plant Science
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-07
- Volume
- 208
- Pages
- 42-49
- ISSN
- 0168-9452 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2012861605
- Cited by
- 358
- References
- 79
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 1.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Plant Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Growth Enhancement Techniques
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Keywords
- chitosan, chitosan oligomers, plant defense, induced systemic resistance, plant growth promotion, stomatal closure, cell death, reactive oxygen species, respiratory burst, MAPK signaling, pathogenesis-related genes, phytoalexins, callose deposition, chromatin, plasma membrane, mechanism of action, fungal inoculum, crop protection
- MeSH terms
- Models, Biological, Plants, Chitosan, Plant Immunity
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