Root exudates: the hidden part of plant defense

• Defense root exudates are chemically diverse.
• Plants constitutively secrete root exudates to prevent pathogen attack.
• Stimuli such as microbial elicitors trigger compositional changes in root exudates.
• ABC transporters are involved in releasing and regulating defense root exudates.

The significance of root exudates as belowground defense substances has long been underestimated, presumably due to being buried out of sight. Nevertheless, this chapter of root biology has been progressively addressed within the past decade through the characterization of novel constitutively secreted and inducible phytochemicals that directly repel, inhibit, or kill pathogenic microorganisms in the rhizosphere. In addition, the complex transport machinery involved in their export has been considerably unraveled. It has become evident that the profile of defense root exudates is not only diverse in its composition, but also strikingly dynamic. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of the nature and regulation of root-secreted defense compounds and the role of transport proteins in modulating their release.