PLANTS AND IMMUNITY

The nature and development of recognition systems in plants is reviewed and compared with the parallel systems in animals. Higher plants have not retained the phagocytic capacity characteristic of certain lower plants and of animal cells. They have, however, developed the capacity to discriminate self from non-self in their mating systems, defence reactions and somatic cell interactions. The biology of these systems is described and the available information concerning the interacting surfaces is reviewed and interpreted in terms of the initial recognition event and the response. © 1979 Pergamon Press Ltd. All rights reserved.