Participation of phytochemicals in plant development and growth

Abstract

Phytochemicals, also known as natural products and specialized compounds, display well known functions in plants providing varying levels of protection to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. The biosynthesis of phytochemicals is tightly spatio-temporally regulated, often restricted to specialized cells, yet their transport within plants allow them to interact with, and modulate, other signalling networks. In this chapter, we describe how phytochemicals participate in plant development and growth, further blurring the boundaries between primary and secondary metabolism, and between hormones and phytochemicals.