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Name: Tom
Status: student
Grade: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
Do plants have an immune system?

Replies:
The general answer is, yes. However, there may be some issues about how you define "immune system". Certainly, some plant species are more resistant to various diseases than other plants, and can be genetically modified either by natural selection or human genetic modification to be more resistant to some disease, herbicide, chemical etc. But the mechanism by which plant immune systems function are different that the mechanism by which animal (including human) immune systems function.

Vince Calder

The following should be helpful:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031209080025.htm

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/askasci/1993/biology/bio035.htm

Sincerely,

Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.


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