Induction of priming by cold stress via inducible volatile cues in neighboring tea plants
Mingyue Zhao, Lu Wang, Jingming Wang, Jieyang Jin, Na Zhang, Lei Lei, Ting Gao, Tingting Jing, Shangrui Zhang, Yi Wu, Bin Wu, Yunqing Hu, Xiaochun Wan, Wilfried Schwab, Chuankui Song
Abstract
Plants have evolved sophisticated defense mechanisms to overcome their sessile nature. However, if and how volatiles from cold-stressed plants can trigger interplant communication is still unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence for interplant communication via inducible volatiles in cold stress. The volatiles, including nerolidol, geraniol, linalool, and methyl salicylate, emitted from cold-stressed tea plants play key role(s) in priming cold tolerance of their neighbors via a C-repeat-binding factors-dependent pathway. The knowledge will help us to understand how plants respond to volatile cues in cold stress and agricultural ecosystems.