Appucation of plant lectin for biotic stress control in crops

Lectins are proteins with carbohydrate binding and agglutinating properties found in certain groups of organisms. Plant lectins posses various defense properties, viz., anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and insecticidal. Feeding trials with plant lectin-containing artificial diets and bioassays have demonstrated that lectins posses superior insecticidal properties. Since genes of bacterial origin are looked upon with suspicion and lead to controversies, identification of lectin genes from a safe Source like edible plant material and development of transgenic crops with disease and pest resistance could be an alternative way for biotic stress management.