The field of plant-microbe interactions has seen several recent break-throughs as cloning and characterization of resistance ( R) genes from plants and avirulence ( avr) genes from pathogens. Although genetics, histology, and biochemistry of plant disease resistance are well known at the cellu-lar and population levels, a full understanding of pathogen resistance in plants at molecular level is recently becoming feasible throught cloning and sequencing of several putatively interacting plant and pathogen genes. This knowledge may lead to the establishment of important strategies in plant dis-ease control. The objective of this review is to provide a short and selective overview of the molecu-lar genetics of plant disease resistance.

The field of plant-microbe interactions has seen several recent break-throughs as cloning and characterization of resistance ( R) genes from plants and avirulence ( avr) genes from pathogens. Although genetics, histology, and biochemistry of plant disease resistance are well known at the cellu-lar and population levels, a full understanding of pathogen resistance in plants at molecular level is recently becoming feasible throught cloning and sequencing of several putatively interacting plant and pathogen genes. This knowledge may lead to the establishment of important strategies in plant dis-ease control. The objective of this review is to provide a short and selective overview of the molecu-lar genetics of plant disease resistance.