Role of Metabolomics in Deciphering the Plant-Microbe Interaction

The mechanisms such as cell wall strengthening, formation of antimicrobial substances, and synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are mostly used by plants to protect themselves against the majority of microbial attacks. However, unbeaten pathogens prevail over these plant barricades and get hold of nutrients as well from the plants. The disturbances in the metabolic pathway of plants play a vital role in deciding the result of attempted infections, e.g. the metabolic analyses between vigorous, recently contaminated, or resistant plants that have the capacity to expose alarms to signaling mechanisms which have crucial role in deciding the fate and result of a plant-microbe interaction. So it is very important to utilize the power of metabolomics in deciphering the plant-microbe interaction. The documentation and description of the whole cellular metabolome is the ultimate aim of the metabolomics, but is still a huge task due to the enormous metabolite diversity within a cell. The present chapter discusses metabolomic studies that connect variations in the defense response of plants against various pathogens to their primary metabolism.