Bacterial volatiles as airborne signals for plants and bacteria

Abstract

Volatile compounds are found in all organisms. Bacteria communicate with their surrounding ecosystem using a diverse array of volatile metabolites. Some rhizosphere bacteria (rhizobacteria) emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that promote plant growth and elicit induced systemic resistance (ISR) and induced systemic tolerance (IST). This chapter reviews recent progress in understanding how VOCs mediate interactions between rhizobacteria and plants and among bacteria. Recent proteomics analysis of plant ISR and IST induced by rhizobacterial VOCs as well as the potential of VOCs for field applications will be discussed. These studies provide novel insights into the biological and ecological potential of rhizobacterial VOCs for modulating biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in modern agriculture.