Tomato plants emit a scent to resist bacterial attacks. This aroma—or volatile compound—is hexenyl butanoate (HB). A team from the Research Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP), a joint center of the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (UPV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has discovered that its mode of action is novel, as it works independently of the classic hormone involved in the process of stomatal closure (abscisic acid).
In this way, it is possible to protect plants from threats like drought or pathologies that could threaten crops. The work has been published in Horticulture Research.
"Given the importance of stomatal control in water stress, HB treatments alleviate the symptoms caused by drought and improve the productivity of crops such as tomato. Therefore, in the context of the severe drought we are currently experiencing in Spain, the development of this type of compound is a breakthrough to address this situation," says Purificación Lisón, IBMCP researcher and professor in the Department of Biotechnology at the School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment (ETSIAMN) of the UPV.
Among other advantages, the UPV and CSIC team points out that the HB compound resists diseases that enter the stomata. In the case of tomatoes, its use protects against Pseudomonas syringae. This bacterium causes significant damage, particularly in cold and wet weather, making the fruit unsuitable for marketing.
Read more at phys.org