behind their facade of apparent passivity, plants possess a sophisticated behavioural repertoire. In particular, they respond to pathogens by mounting a variety of self-protection measures. Recent work by Sreeganga Chandra and colleagues at Purdue University, us, provides an insight into the method by which plants resist microbial infection (Proceedings of the us National Academy of Sciences, Vol 93, 1996).

They have shown that delayed production of highly reactive oxidative substances, such as peroxides