Unlocking the potential of protease inhibitors for enhanced pest resistance in tea plants

Protease inhibitors are a promising strategy for enhancing herbivore resistance in plants, which is crucial for addressing the significant yield losses in crops such as tea plants due to insect herbivores. Serine protease inhibitors (SERPIN) are one of the largest superfamilies of protease inhibitors in plants and play a key role in defense against herbivores.