New research done on the plant hormone, salicylic acid, demonstrates how it can improve disease resistance in plants and help tolerate external stressors like extreme temperatures and rapidly changing weather.
Salicylic acid has been used before to repel pests and various pathogens that cause disease, but is known to create issues in crop growth. However this new method separates growth reduction from the defense response in salicylic acid, where the plant can grow and withstand external factors.
Research is still underway on various crops, but if completely successful will create climate-resilient vegetation.
