This review will focus on the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying defense responses of roots to fungal pathogens. Soil-borne pathogens, including Phytophthora, Pythium, Fusarium, and Bipolaris, represent major sources of biotic stress in the rhizosphere and roots of plants. Molecular recognition and signaling leading to effective resistance has been demonstrated to occur between host and Phytophthora, or Pythium. The hypersensitive response and apoptotic cell death, two oxidative processes that limit biotrophic pathogens, generally act to exacerbate disease symptoms induced by necrotrophic organisms. Although pathogenesis-related proteins can be expressed in roots during pathogen challenge, salicylic acid has not been implicated in root-mediated interactions. Jasmonic acid and ethylene have been found to mediate parallel as well as synergistic pathways that confer partial tolerance to necrotrophic pathogens, as well as induced systemic resistance to root and foliar pathogens. Genomics approaches are revealing new networks of defense-signaling pathways, and have the potential of elucidating those pathways that are important in root-defense responses.
