Green Leaf Volatiles (GLVs)

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.