ABSTRACT
Studies on the nature and integration of information from metabolism and the environment have revealed a complex network of interacting pathways and controls brokered by the interplay of phytohormone and nutritional/metabolic signals (Aarts and Fiers, 2003; Chinnusamy et al., 2004; Potters et al., 2007). Information from metabolism and the environment also primes the plant ‘innate immune defence’ response and the ‘stress-induced morphogenic’ responses (Potters et al., 2007). Similarly, exposure to single stresses such as chilling and drought can induce common signalling pathways that increase tolerance to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses, a phenomenon known as ‘cross-tolerance’ (Boudsocq and Lauriere, 2005; Chinnusamy et al., 2004; Ho et al., 2001; Pastori and Foyer, 2002).
