Volatilomics: a non-invasive technique for screening plant phenotypic traits

Abstract

BackgroundClimate change represents a grand challenge for agricultural productivity. Understanding complex plant traits such as stress tolerance, disease resistance or crop yield is thus essential for breeding and the development of sustainable agriculture strategies. When screening for the most robust plant phenotypes, fast, high-throughput phenotyping represents the means of choice.ResultsWe have developed a plant phenotyping platform to measure the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), photosynthetic gas exchange and transpiration under ambient, or abiotic and biotic stress conditions. These parameters are highly suitable markers to non-invasively and dynamically study plant growth and plant stress status, making them perfect test variables for long-term, online plant monitoring. Here we introduce the new phenotyping platform, termed VOC-SCREEN, and present results of a first case study with three barley cultivars, demonstrating that the plant’s volatilome can be successfully applied to discriminate different barley varieties.ConclusionVolatilomics is a promising technique to non-invasively screen for plant phenotypic traits.

Under Fire –simultaneous Volatilome and Transcriptome Analysis Unravels Fine-scale Responses of Tansy Chemotypes to Dual Herbivore Attack

“…We combined a number of methods, lead extracts, cumulative headspace sampling and realtime headspace sampling using a multi-cuvette system [11], to investigate the response of five different tansy chemotypes to attack by a sucking and a chewing herbivore, and priming effects.…”

“…On-line analysis of emitted volatiles was conducted using the multiple cuvette system [11] comprising of six whole plant cuvettes coupled to a commercial PTR-ToF-MS, Ionicon Analytik GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria). The cuvettes consist of a glass bulb atop a gas tight cylindrical stainless-steel base using inert Viton rings to seal the joint (for details see Jud et al [11]). The base contains connections for gas and irrigation tubing, as well as electrical connections.…”

“…VOCs can be emitted immediately following damage caused by a herbivore, or can be induced and emitted several hours later [10]. Traditional methods for assessing volatile emissions in plant-herbivore interactions continue to be improved upon, with more sensitive instruments coming to market [11,12].…”

“…VOCs can be emitted immediately following damage caused by a herbivore, or can be induced and emitted several hours later [10]. Traditional methods for assessing volatile emissions in plant-herbivore interactions continue to be improved upon, with more sensitive instruments coming to market [11,12]. In the present study we investigated the effects of tansy chemotypes on the emission of VOCs triggered by two insect herbivores from contrasting feeding guilds; sucking aphids and chewing caterpillar larvae.…”

“…In the present study we investigated the effects of tansy chemotypes on the emission of VOCs triggered by two insect herbivores from contrasting feeding guilds; sucking aphids and chewing caterpillar larvae. To measure the real-time VOC emissions we used a platform introduced by Jud et al, 2018 [11], where we combine gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectroscopy (PTR-ToF-MS, [35]).…”