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Amplification of early drought responses caused by volatile cues emitted from neighboring plants.

ABSTRACT: Plants have developed sophisticated mechanisms to survive in dynamic environments. Plants can communicate via volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to warn neighboring plants of threats. In most cases, VOCs act as positive regulators of plant defense. However, the communication and role of volatiles in response to drought stress are poorly understood. Here, we showed that tea plants release numerous VOCs. Among them, methyl salicylate (MeSA), benzyl alcohol, and phenethyl alcohol markedly increased under drought stress. Interestingly, further experiments revealed that drought-induced MeSA lowered the abscisic acid (ABA) content in neighboring plants by reducing 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) gene expression, resulting in inhibition of stomatal closure and ultimately decreasing early drought tolerance in neighboring plants. Exogenous application of ABA reduced the wilting of tea plants caused by MeSA exposure. Exposure of Nicotiana benthamiana to MeSA also led to severe wilting, indicating that the ability of drought-induced MeSA to reduce early drought tolerance in neighboring plants may be conserved in other plant species. Taken together, these results provide evidence that drought-induced volatiles can reduce early drought tolerance in neighboring plants and lay a novel theoretical foundation for optimizing plant density and spacing.

SUBMITTER: Jin J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8593122 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding the ecology and behaviour of disease vectors, including the olfactory cues used to orient and select hosts and egg-laying sites, are essential for the development of novel, insecticide-free control tools. Selected graminoid plants have been shown to release volatile chemicals attracting malaria vectors; however, whether the attraction is selective to individual plants or more general across genera and families is still unclear.MethodsTo contribute to the current evidence, we implemented bioassays in two-port airflow olfactometers and in large field cages with four live graminoid plant species commonly found associated with malaria vector breeding sites in western Kenya: Cyperus rotundus and C. exaltatus of the Cyperaceae family, and Panicum repens and Cynodon dactylon of the Poaceae family. Additionally, we tested one Poaceae species, Cenchrus setaceus, not usually associated with water. The volatile compounds released in the headspace of the plants were identified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.ResultsAll five plants attracted gravid vectors, with the odds of a mosquito orienting towards the choice-chamber with the plant in an olfactometer being 2-5 times higher than when no plant was present. This attraction was maintained when tested with free-flying mosquitoes over a longer distance in large field cages, though at lower strength, with the odds of attracting a female 1.5-2.5 times higher when live plants were present than when only water was present in the trap. Cyperus rotundus, previously implicated in connection with an oviposition attractant, consistently elicited the strongest response from gravid vectors. Volatiles regularly detected were limonene, β-pinene, β-elemene and β-caryophyllene, among other common plant compounds previously described in association with odour-orientation of gravid and unfed malaria vectors.ConclusionsThe present study confirms that gravid Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto use chemical cues released from graminoid plants to orientate. These cues are released from a variety of graminoid plant species in both the Cyperaceae and Poaceae family. Given the general nature of these cues, it appears unlikely that they are exclusively used for the location of suitable oviposition sites. The utilization of these chemical cues for attract-and-kill trapping strategies must be explored under natural conditions to investigate their efficiency when in competition with complex interacting natural cues.

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Amplification of early drought responses caused by volatile cues emitted from neighboring plants.

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