Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is the world's most important grain legume for direct human consumption and a main source of proteins in Latin America and Africa. Environmental factors such as nutrient deficiency, soil acidity, and metal toxicity are important constraints for bean symbiotic nitroge...

There is now ample evidence that plant development, responses to abiotic environments, and immune responses are tightly intertwined in their physiology. Thus optimization of the immune system during evolution will occur in coordination with that of plant development. Two alternative and possibly complementary forces are at play: ...