Primed and ready to fight, a nematode pheromone arms plants to battle pathogens

When cold and flu season comes around, we take steps like getting our flu shots and taking immune supplements to strengthen our bodies' defenses against pathogens.

Plants face pathogenic threats, too.

Plant pathogens can have devastating effects on crop yields, with up to 40% of global food crops lost annually, and such losses have severe implications for food security.

But what if we could boost plant immune systems as we do our own and make them better able to withstand or fend off biological threats?