Kagoshima University researchers identified methyl benzoate as an airborne plant-defence signal whose release rises around dusk. Plants receiving the compound activate defence-related genes through NPR1, a central regulator of plant immunity, using a response pattern distinct from the better-known signal methyl salicylate. The finding adds a time-sensitive chemical channel to plant-to-plant communication: neighbouring plants can receive an environmental warning and prepare defensive responses before encountering the threat directly.
Plants Broadcast a Dusk-Timed Warning Through the Air
