Abstract
The New Zealand native plant mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is representative of the country’s North and South Islands flora. This species is essential to the growing community of honey producers due to its honey’s antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, attributed to the presence of methylglyoxal (MGO), derived from dihydroxyacetone (DHA) in the nectar. Several clones and cultivars have been selected to optimize DHA production. Still, nothing is known about the volatile emissions of these artificially selected plants. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can influence their interactions with the environment, such as pollinator foraging decisions, which may subsequently affect the plants’ products. This study explored the aboveground volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by eight different mānuka genotypes (six clones and two wild cultivars) under field conditions during the spring season. Volatiles were collected using the “push–pull” headspace sampling technique and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our results show that mānuka plants emit large amounts of terpenoids, with sesquiterpenes and monoterpenoids being the most abundant groups of compounds. The results also show variation in the total green leaf volatiles, total sesquiterpenes, and specific compounds between genotypes and suggest that artificially selected plants have a significant variation in their chemical profiles. The potential impacts of these results on the plant’s defence, pollinator attraction and bee products are discussed.
Highlights
Plants emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that mediate communication with other organisms and responses to biotic and abiotic stress, making them essential elements in plant ecology [1,2,3,4]
Thirty-four compounds were identified in the headspace collections of manuka plants, and these were grouped into their respective chemical classes
The proportions of selected compounds, inclu ing green leaf volatiles, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenes, and other compounds, w compared between plant genotypes
Summary
Plants emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that mediate communication with other organisms (such as pollinators or nearby plants) and responses to biotic and abiotic stress (such as herbivory or UV radiation), making them essential elements in plant ecology [1,2,3,4]. Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is a New Zealand native woody perennial species This shrub commonly occurs on the North and South Islands, where it persists in harsh environments, such as areas with low soil fertility, drought, waterlogged and frost [10,11,12]. Manuka is highly polymorphic, linked to environmental and genetic determinants, which is maintained in cultivation [13]. This species varies in size and form, ranging from medium-sized, prostrate and dwarf-form shrub to trees [13] and has been described as an andromonoecious species [14]. Whether pollinators are attracted to high DHA-producing clones is a different matter
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