Advances in Insect Antimicrobial Peptides: Mechanisms and Applications in Plant Disease Management

In response to the crisis of resistance to conventional pesticides and the demand for plant disease management, this paper reviews summarizes recent research progress on insect antimicrobial peptides（AMPs）and their application in controlling plant diseases. Structurally, AMPs can be categorized into four major classes: α-helical peptides, β-sheet peptides, αβ mixed-type peptides and unstructured random coils. They exert antimicrobial effects through membrane-targeting mechanisms（including barrel-stave, carpet, toroidal pore and so on）and non-membrane-targeting mechanisms（such as interactions with nucleic acids and proteins）. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of various AMPs in controlling plant diseases, including bacterial wilt of tomato and bacterial leaf blight of rice. These AMPs can be applied via transgenic expression or spray formulations. However, challenges such as susceptibility to degradation, high production costs, and potential resistance development remain. Future research should focus on molecular design, process optimization, and ecological monitoring to facilitate their large-scale application in plant disease management.