An Interview with Pamela Ronald

Pamela Ronald, Professor of Plant Pathology at UC Davis and Author of the 2012 Annual Review of Plant Biology, talks to Anna Rascouët-Paz about her article Plant Innate Immunity: Perception of Conserved Microbial Signatures, which she co-wrote with Benjamin Schwessinger. She discusses the role of receptors in plant immune systems, how they react to bacterial quorum sensing, and how she and her team found a way to make rice more resistant to diseases and flooding. She also talks about the importance for farmers to adopt a thoughtful, integrated approach to controlling pests and diseases, using a variety of appropriate technologies. (Posted May 1, 2012)