The present invention is directed to isolated active fragments of a hypersensitive response elicitor protein or polypeptide which fragment does not elicit a hypersensitive response in plants. Also disclosed are isolated DNA molecules which encode such fragments. Isolated fragments of hypersensitive response elicitor proteins or polypeptides in accordance with the present invention and the isolated DNA molecules that encode them have the following activities: imparting disease resistance to plants, enhancing plant growth, and/or controlling insects on plants. This can be achieved by applying the fragments of a hypersensitive response elicitor in a non-infectious form to plants or plant seeds under conditions effective to impart disease resistance, to enhance plant growth, and/or to control insects on plants or plants grown from the plant seeds. Alternatively, transgenic plants or plant seeds transformed with a DNA molecule encoding the fragment can be provided and the transgenic plants or plants resulting from the transgenic plant seeds are grown under conditions effective to impart disease resistance, to enhance plant growth, and/or to control insects on plants or plants grown from the plant seeds.
