Translation of Strigolactones from Plant Hormone to Agriculture: Achievements, Future Perspectives, and Challenges

Strigolactones (SLs) control plant development, enhance symbioses, and act as germination stimulants for some of the most destructive species of parasitic weeds, making SLs a potential tool to improve crop productivity and resilience. Field trials demonstrate the potential use of SLs as agrochemicals or genetic targets in breeding programs, with applications in improving drought tolerance, increasing yields, and controlling parasitic weeds. However, for effective translation of SLs into agriculture, understanding and exploiting SL diversity and the development of economically viable sources of SL analogs will be critical. Here we review how manipulation of SL signaling can be used when developing new tools and crop varieties to address some critical challenges, such as nutrient acquisition, resource allocation, stress tolerance, and plant–parasite interactions. Proof of principle for strigolactone (SL) application in agriculture has now been demonstrated at field-trial scale for parasitic weed control, increasing fruit yield, enhancing nutrient uptake, and improving yield under drought conditions.The agricultural potential of many emerging and established activities of SLs remains under-investigated.Specificity of activity in the landscape of many complex SL responses can be achieved through exploitation of differences in SL structures and receptor specificities.