Induced resistance and field adventure: from lab success to field reality

Abstract: For a competitive and environmentally friendly agriculture, the enhancement of plant defence mechanisms by elicitor treatments seems a promising strategy. Since many years, elicitors have been explored in order to determine their efficiency towards plant diseases. Results under controlled conditions have been often very promising but the field reality has been very disappointing, with lower and less stable efficiency. In order to identify the barriers to elicitor development and find adapted solutions different actions have been taken lately. In 2006, a French network was created. Elicitra aims at understanding, developing and promoting this strategy for all crops. Many collaborative projects have also been started with interesting results.