Erucamide: A special biological control agent targeting T3SS for plant bacterial diseases

The incidence of plant bacterial diseases has been rising annually alongside the development of facility agriculture, which can seriously affect the yield and quality of crops, and cause significant losses to agricultural production globally. Thus, the development of highly effective prevention and control agents targeting plant pathogenic bacteria are urgently needed. The Type III secretion system (T3SS) is a complex molecular apparatus exist in many Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, which plays a crucial role in the pathogenic process of bacteria. In recent years, T3SS has become an important target for the development of novel antibacterial agents. Here, we highlight the recent findings on a plant defense compound targeting T3SS for plant bacterial diseases by Lei and his colleagues. • Erucamide is a widely present phytoalexin in monocots and dicots. • A special mechanism was demonstrated for plant bacterial diseases. • Erucamide can be applied in crop protection with broad agricultural application prospects.