Elicitor peptides having disrupted hypersensitive response box and use thereof

An isolated peptide comprising the amino acid sequence of

• L-X-X-(L/I)-(L/I)-X-X-(L/I/V)-(L/I/V) (SEQ ID NO:
• 116),
• wherein
• the peptide is free of cysteine and methionine;
• each X at positions 2, 3, 6, 7 is independently selected from the group consisting of G, A, S, T, D, isoD, E, γ-glutamate, Q, N, K, and R;
• the peptide comprises up to 24 amino acids at the N-terminal end of SEQ ID NO:
• 116, up to 10 amino acids at the C-terminal end of SEQ ID NO:
• 116, or both, except that the amino acid sequence of the peptide does not comprise (L/I/V/F)-X-X-(L/I/V/F)-(L/I)-X-X-(L/I/V)-(L/I)-X-X-(L/I/V/F)-(L/I/V/F) (SEQ ID NO:
• 125) where each X at positions 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 is any amino acid;
• the peptide has a Kyte Doolittle hydropathy index of less than 0.3;
• and
• the peptide induces an active plant response, but does not induce a hypersensitive response, when applied to mechanically disrupted plant tissue.