Diversity of Targets, Effects and Applications of Plant Volatiles

Plants produce thousands of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These small, chemically diverse molecules cause the aroma of leaves, flowers and fruits and serve multiple functions in the reproduction of plants and their protection from environmental stress: Plant VOCs attract pollinators, fruit dispersers or 'biocontrol' organisms that remove pest insects. They also repel herbivores, exert anti-microbial effects, protect plants from abiotic stress and activate resistance traits in neighboring plants via airborne plant-plant signaling.

The goal of the GRC Plant Volatiles is to enhance our understanding of the incredible diversity of VOC-mediated interactions of plants with their environment and our awareness of their underused potential in a diverse array of applications: from agronomy and food quality to renewable bioproducts and medicine.

Topics at the GRC Plant Volatiles 2016 will cover an amazing array of disciplines and range from pollination and VOC-mediated resistance in plants to pests and pathogens, bacterial VOCs that promote plant growth and resistance, to the genetic and enzymatic control of the synthesis of VOCs or their perception and effects in plants, insects and humans. Methods cover the entire range from molecular genetics and next-generation analytical tools to field ecology and evolution.

We will experience a highly interdisciplinary meeting and expect a particularly productive atmosphere for lively interdisciplinary discussions, creating new ideas and the establishment of new collaborations.