ABSTRACT
Plants produce numerous low molecular weight volatile organic metabolites, which act as phytohormones inducing physiological and behavioral responses in neighboring flora as well as micro- and macrofauna. Sessile plants use these allelochemicals to protect themselves from environmental stress. Certain plant secondary metabolites are volatile and mimic emergency hormones that are produced to combat stress and tissue damage. They are produced as a result of chain of events that occur when a plant cell is damaged by an insect or a pathogen attack, which is referred to as “damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).” They produce signaling molecules that work systematically in the affected host plant as well as alert the neighboring plants to prepare for the attack. Understanding the evolution, chemistry, and function of these signaling molecules will help us tap their activity and utilize them for successful crop production and protection. These plant secondary metabolites, which induce multi-trophic interactions, can be carefully tapped and smartly used as alternatives to hazardous pesticides to protect plants from detrimental phytopathogens and invertebrate herbivores, which if unmanaged would cause heavy yield loss in cultivated crops. Semiochemicals from plants and synthetic compounds mimicking them are eco-friendly and have been proved to be effective aids for sustainable crop production.
