Volatiles from low R:FR-treated maize plants increase the emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles in their neighbors

Low Red (R) to Far Red (FR) light ratios, a light signal associated with vegetation shade, can prompt intact maize (Zea mays) plants to constitutively emit more volatiles when exposed to herbivory-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). Here we investigated how simulated shading affects priming responses in the context of volatile-mediated plant-plant interactions. Receiver maize plants were exposed to either constitutive volatile organic compounds (cVOCs) or HIPVs from emitter maize plants, while we manipulated R:FR light conditions of receivers or emitters. Priming responses in the receivers were then assessed by measuring real-time volatile emissions following simulated herbivory. We show that low R:FR light enhances HIPVs emissions in plants previously exposed to HIPVs from neighbours independently of the light conditions of emitters. We also demonstrate that both cVOCs and HIPVs emitted by maize grown under low R:FR amplify HIPVs emissions in their neighbours. This amplified response could not be explained by FR-mediated changes in the release of green leaf volatiles or terpenoids by emitters, thus suggesting the involvement of other VOCs. We conclude that volatile-mediated plant-plant interactions can be expected to become more intense in denser canopies due to light-mediated amplification of volatile emission and responsiveness.