Plant neighbors 's(c)ent' to protect

People and animals are not the only ones who can smell. Plants are also able to perceive odors, but they process them in a very different way . While insects or mammals smell odors within a second of exposure, plants require much longer exposure times to respond. Then using this information, they react effectively to the odors emitted by infected or infested neighboring plants in order to increase their resistance to pest insects or disease. The new study by Sarai Giron-Calva, from the Department of Genetic Engineering at CINVESTAV-Irapuato in Mexico, and colleagues is published online in Springer's Journal of Chemical Ecology.

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