Weaponizing Plants

Climate change, plants and human health are closely linked, since the environment, plant health and food safety are parts of the same system. In fact, crop yield and plant product quality are, directly or indirectly, affected by climate alterations. Adverse climatic conditions often promote the occurrence of different abiotic stresses, which can have the effect of reducing or enhancing susceptibility to biotic stresses (pests or pathogens). The agricultural productivity challenges, posed by the climate change, can be overcome by innovation systems and farming practice; on the other hand, reducing the impact of noxious substances and controlling the stress conditions on plants has become imperative. Innovative bioprotection strategies, as well as the biological control of crop pests, is the new frontier for the sustainable future of plant health, demanding emerging technologies that facilitate the understanding and exploitation of the mechanisms involved. This Special Issue aims to collect the most updated insights and experimental developments intended to increase plants' health and biosecurity.