Transcriptomic biomarkers reveal jasmonic and salicylic acid state under field herbivory

Plants coordinate defence against pathogens and herbivores through the crosstalk between salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathways. However, little is known about how plants integrate the phytohormone concentration profiles to shape defence states in complex field environments. Here we show that systematically varying combinatorial SA and JA concentrations in Arabidopsis thaliana reveals 43 distinct combination-specific transcriptional signatures beyond SA-JA antagonism. Leveraging these data, we developed and validated machine-learning-based transcriptomic biomarkers that enabled independent quantification of SA and JA response states. By applying these biomarkers to field-grown A. thaliana, we revealed that SA/JA response states were dynamically shaped by abundant and co-occurrence of herbivores on individual plants. Our study provides a strategy to decode hormonal responses to biotic environments from field transcriptomes, bridging the gap between molecular signalling and ecological dynamics.