Plant Volatiles

Due to their capacity to diffuse through the phyllo- and rhizosphere, plant volatiles are important mediators of plant-environment interactions. Herbivore-induced plant volatiles for instance can trigger defense priming in neighboring plants. In the context of an ERC Starting Grant, we currently investigate how plant volatiles are integrated into early defense signaling and how plants respond to herbivore induced plant volatiles. We are also interested how volatiles affect the performance and behavior of microbes, herbivores and natural enemies.

Project leader: Dr. Lingfei Hu

Key publications

1. Ye M., Veyrat N., Xu H., Hu L., Turlings T.C.J., Erb M. An herbivore-induced plant volatile reduces parasitoid attraction by changing the smell of caterpillars (in press). Science Advances.
2. Erb M., Veyrat N., Robert C.A.M., Xu H., Frey M., Ton. J., Turlings T.C.J.* Indole is an essential herbivore-induced volatile priming signal in maize (2015). Nature Communications, 6, 6273.