Comprehensive profiling of the whole plant volatilome in Arabidopsis : Exposing dynamic tissue-specific VOC fingerprints linked to the plant’s adaptation to its environment.

Elaborate intra- and interkingdom communication systems have evolved in plants, where volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are integral signalling molecules. An investigation into the intricate realm of plant VOCs was undertaken in this study, confirming known and exposing new roles of VOCs in the complex mechanisms employed by plants to adapt to their environment and regulate development accordingly. An untargeted analysis of VOC data from seven distinct Arabidopsis tissues acquired using the high throughput, sensitive technique known as Headspace Solid Phase Micro-Extraction Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS) was deployed to explore the whole plant volatilome. Improved analytical pipelines enabled new analyses of Arabidopsis datasets revealing an exceptionally dynamic plant volatilome consisting of 197 emitted VOCs, with 114 being detected in Arabidopsis and ten in planta for the first time, thereby expanding the repertoire of detectable VOCs, and quantifiable VAs. A high degree of tissue-unicity among VOCs emerges, offering unique chemical fingerprints for flowers, roots, leaves, siliques, and seeds. This work not only enhances our understanding of plant development and stress tolerance but also holds promise for leveraging the plant volatilome to improve agricultural practices and crop production.