Phytohormones and crosstalk among biotic stress responsive signaling pathways in plants

Plants under natural conditions are exposed to multiple stress factors at varying mode and intensities. Plant defense response to these various stress factors is regulated by a complex network of regulatory pathways mediated mainly by phytohormones and molecular regulators. The synergic and antagonistic interaction between the stress responsive hormones along with their co-ordination with the regulators fine tune the defense response with high specificity. In this review, an attempt has been made to summarize the literature regarding the role of phytohormones in plant defense, crosstalk among phytohormones and the common molecular players involved in regulating the phytohormonal interaction during biotic stress responses and prospects of future investigations are outlined.