About Green Leaf Volatiles:
- It represents an important group of plant volatiles.
- They consist of six carbon (C6) compounds, including alcohols, aldehydes, and esters, and are released from almost every plant.
- The release of GLVs is caused by mechanical damage or herbivory by fungal or bacterial infection.
- These are implicated in a panoply of interactions; they have been reported to repel or attract herbivores and their natural enemies.
- Plants have two major defence mechanisms, involving a chain of molecular reactions.
- The reactions are triggered when a plant is damaged and GLVs are released as by-products. (By mounting a defence response, plants can make themselves less palatable or even indigestible to the insect attackers.)
- The molecular cascade is mediated by calcium, a common mediator of chemical and electrical signals found throughout biology.
What are Volatiles?
- These are elements or compounds that change from solid or liquid state into vapour at relatively low temperatures.
- The most common volatiles are carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ammonia, hydrogen, methane, sulphur dioxide, and water, which are abundant in nature and necessary for living organisms.
