Context: Plants can listen to damage to other plants because plants release a group of compounds called green leaf volatiles (GLVs) into the air when injured, warning other plants about the proximity of danger.

Plants Can Listen Damage to Other Plants

• A Professor from Saitama University, known for his work on microscopes, has found a way to ‘watch’ plants responding to these warning signals.
• The study was published in Nature Communications in October 2023.

How Plants Communicate?

• Plants employ through a series of molecular reactions. 
• These reactions activate when a plant sustains damage, leading to the release of green leaf volatiles (GLVs) as by-products.

• Plants, by initiating a defense response, can render themselves less palatable or even indigestible to insect attackers. 
• The molecular reaction is mediated by calcium, a common mediator of chemical and electrical signals found throughout biology.

Experimental Setup:

• Scientist inserted a gene into mustard plants, causing them to glow when flooded with calcium.
• Under a special microscope, the mutant plants lit up in response to touch, cutting, or being eaten by a caterpillar.

Significance of Findings:

• Potential Applications:
  • Consideration for pesticide-free pest control by leveraging plants’ internal defense responses.
  • GLVs could activate plants’ defenses, protecting crops naturally.
• Implications for Agriculture:
  • GLVs may play a role in mitigating pest damage to crops.
  • Understanding specific compounds inducing defenses against particular pests is crucial.

News Source: The Hindu

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