Knocking Out Impairs Rice Growth and Development but Enhances Its Resistance to Planthoppers.

Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) are an important subfamily of receptor-like kinases (RLKs) in plants that play key roles in sensing different biotic and abiotic stress. However, the role of LRR-RLKs in herbivore-induced plant defense remains largely elusive. Here, we found that the expression of a rice gene, , was induced by mechanical wounding, but was slightly suppressed by the infestation of gravid females of brown planthopper (BPH, ) or white-backed planthopper (WBPH, ). Through targeted disruption of (resulting in the lines), we observed an augmentation in transcript levels of BPH-induced , , , and , alongside heightened levels of planthopper-induced jasmonic acid, JA-isoleucine, and abscisic acid in plant tissues. These dynamic changes further facilitated the biosynthesis of multiple phenolamides within the rice plants, culminating in an enhanced resistance to planthopper infestations under both lab and field conditions. In addition, knocking out impaired plant growth and reproduction. These results suggest that plays an important role in regulating rice growth, development, and rice-planthopper interactions.