Abscisic Acid Metabolizing Rhodococcus sp. Counteracts Phytopathogenic Effects of Abscisic Acid Producing Botrytis sp. on Sunflower Seedlings

Scientists discovered that a beneficial soil bacterium can protect sunflower plants from a harmful fungus by eating the toxin the fungus produces. The fungus normally weakens plant defenses by producing a chemical called abscisic acid, but the bacterium metabolizes this chemical and prevents it from harming the plant. This approach works without the bacterium directly killing the fungus, offering a new way to protect crops from disease.