Volatile Signaling Molecules in Plants and Their Interplay with the Redox Balance Under Challenging Environments: New Insights

Abstract

Volatile molecules such as ethylene, nitric oxide (NO), and isoprene have important functions in plant growth and development. Under stress conditions, these compounds interact with each other and with the reactive oxygen species (ROS) processing systems, to undergo stressful situations. The coordination of several processes such as leaf senescence, fruit ripening, or growth under challenging scenarios requires a multilevel study, coupled with the study of the antioxidant systems that are able to maintain the redox balance within the plant cell. In this chapter, the authors emphasize the complex network that integrates volatile signaling molecules with ROS under hormonal control and the possible implications in the crop technology that will probably be an input in future genetic engineering programs.