Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore Feeding

Volatile plant compounds are essential for host plant selection by herbivores and particularly important for the behaviour of parasitoids seeking larvae in which to lay eggs. Headspace extracts were collected from intact plants of four <i>Brassica oleracea</i> genotypes, as well as from...

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Main Authors: Raimondas Mozūraitis, Peter Hambäck, Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson, Richard James Hopkins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/7/1014
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author Raimondas Mozūraitis
Peter Hambäck
Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson
Richard James Hopkins
author_facet Raimondas Mozūraitis
Peter Hambäck
Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson
Richard James Hopkins
author_sort Raimondas Mozūraitis
collection DOAJ
description Volatile plant compounds are essential for host plant selection by herbivores and particularly important for the behaviour of parasitoids seeking larvae in which to lay eggs. Headspace extracts were collected from intact plants of four <i>Brassica oleracea</i> genotypes, as well as from plants damaged by larvae of <i>Mamestra brassicae</i> or <i>Pieris rapae</i>. In total, 52 volatiles present in the headspaces of four genotypes were selected for multivariate analyses. The most abundant groups of volatiles were terpenes and esters, represented by 20 and 14 compounds, respectively. The qualitative and quantitative differences in odour profiles between the four genotypes were sufficient to differentiate between groups using multivariate analysis techniques. The most distinct volatile blends originated from curly kale, followed by cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Multivariate analysis revealed that genotypes affected the composition of the volatile blends to a large extent compared to the herbivore damage by the different species tested. In curly kale, broccoli and cauliflower, the differences in odour bouquets were more expressed between plants with and without active feeding, independent of the herbivore identity, while in cabbage, larger differences were observed between odour profiles with different herbivore feedings, independent of whether the herbivore was present or removed.
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spelling doaj-art-314a33b07c6d4a0987fee94aa4b4289e2025-08-20T03:08:55ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-03-01147101410.3390/plants14071014Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore FeedingRaimondas Mozūraitis0Peter Hambäck1Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson2Richard James Hopkins3Laboratory of Chemical and Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Center, Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, SwedenDivision of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044 Stockholm, SwedenIndependent Consultant in Research and Development, Sunnersbol 21, SE-74794 Alunda, SwedenVolatile plant compounds are essential for host plant selection by herbivores and particularly important for the behaviour of parasitoids seeking larvae in which to lay eggs. Headspace extracts were collected from intact plants of four <i>Brassica oleracea</i> genotypes, as well as from plants damaged by larvae of <i>Mamestra brassicae</i> or <i>Pieris rapae</i>. In total, 52 volatiles present in the headspaces of four genotypes were selected for multivariate analyses. The most abundant groups of volatiles were terpenes and esters, represented by 20 and 14 compounds, respectively. The qualitative and quantitative differences in odour profiles between the four genotypes were sufficient to differentiate between groups using multivariate analysis techniques. The most distinct volatile blends originated from curly kale, followed by cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Multivariate analysis revealed that genotypes affected the composition of the volatile blends to a large extent compared to the herbivore damage by the different species tested. In curly kale, broccoli and cauliflower, the differences in odour bouquets were more expressed between plants with and without active feeding, independent of the herbivore identity, while in cabbage, larger differences were observed between odour profiles with different herbivore feedings, independent of whether the herbivore was present or removed.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/7/1014<i>Brassica oleracea</i>headspacevolatile organic compoundsinduced volatiles
spellingShingle Raimondas Mozūraitis
Peter Hambäck
Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson
Richard James Hopkins
Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore Feeding
Plants
<i>Brassica oleracea</i>
headspace
volatile organic compounds
induced volatiles
title Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore Feeding
title_full Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore Feeding
title_fullStr Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore Feeding
title_full_unstemmed Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore Feeding
title_short Variation in Odour Profiles of Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L.) Cultivars Is Affected More by Genotype Rather than Herbivore Feeding
title_sort variation in odour profiles of cauliflower curly kale and broccoli i brassica oleracea i l cultivars is affected more by genotype rather than herbivore feeding
topic <i>Brassica oleracea</i>
headspace
volatile organic compounds
induced volatiles
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/7/1014
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