Plant innate immunity is a potential surveillance system of plants and is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The immune system is a sleeping system in unstressed healthy plants and is activated on perception of the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP; the pathogen's signature) of invading pathogens. The PAMP alarm/danger signals are perceived by plant pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). The plant immune system uses several second messengers to encode information generated by the PAMPs and deliver the information downstream of PRRs to proteins which decode/interpret signals and initiate defense gene expression. This book describes the most fascinating PAMP-PRR signaling complex and signal transduction systems. It also discusses the highly complex networks of signaling pathways involved in transmission of the signals to induce distinctly different defense-related genes to mount offence against pathogens.

Professor Dr. P. Vidhyasekaran, Ph.D., F.N.A., is the Former Director, Center for Plant Protection Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. " I have published more than 400 research papers in almost all International Journals with high impact factor (to be precise- 32 journals). I have published 12 books so far and my book publishers include CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A (3 books), Marcel Dekker, New York (1), The Haworth Press, New York (3 books), and Taylor-Francis -CRC Press, USA. My books have received very enthusiastic reviews and second editions, in addition the regional editions, and e-Book format of my books have also appeared. My latest book published by CRC Press as second edition is recommended by American Phytopathological Society (APS) and included in the APS Press Store. I have won several national awards and I am a Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and in several other scientific societies. I have served as President of Indian Society of Plant Pathologists. I have served in editorial boards of several journals and also served as Visiting Scientist in USA, Philippines, and Denmark. ZB: selection of books published: * Handbook of Molecular Technologies in Crop Disease Management (The Haworth Press, 2007) * Concise Encyclopedia of Plant Pathology (The Haworth Press, 2004) * Bacterial Disease Resistance in Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnological Applications (The Haworth Press, 2002) * Fungal Pathogenesis in Plants and Crops: Molecular Biology and Host Defence Mechanisms, 1st & 2nd ed. (CRC Press, 2nd ed. 2007)