{
  "id": 18107860,
  "title": "Plant-plant communication in tomato: mechanisms underpinning information transfer between plants",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/plant-plant-communication-in-tomato-mechanisms-underpinning",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-04T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.03.763850v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent studies have revealed the existence of plant-plant communication, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. To gain insight into this process, researchers conducted an experiment connecting infested tomato plants with healthy neighboring plants for three days. By monitoring the metabolomic reprogramming of the infested plants and their changes in volatile emissions, the team aimed to track information transfer between the plants.\n\nThe results demonstrated that tomato plants attacked by the pest *Pieris brassicae* underwent significant changes in their immune systems and the emission of mono- and sesquiterpenoids over the course of three days. These shifts in airborne cues led to similar reprogramming of the immune system in the neighboring healthy plants. Furthermore, the researchers noted herbivory-driven relationships between the chemodiversity of volatile profiles produced by both the sender and receiver plants.\n\nThe metabolome and volatilome of the plants suggest that plant-plant communication functions through mirror effects, with the receiver plants adjusting their defenses to match those of the sender plant. This adaptive mechanism provides a clear warning to the receiver plant against the specific stress it is facing. Beyond composition, the study emphasizes the importance of chemodiversity in volatile cues for effective information transfer. The findings have implications for understanding the detection of cues at the molecular level and the propagation of these signals across plant populations. Ultimately, bridging the gap between composition and chemodiversity of volatile cues may enhance our understanding of communication systems in noisy environments.",
  "summary": "As evidences about plant-plant communication are mounting, we lack a mechanistic understanding of intricate events occurring inside and among pairs of plants. This is needed to untangle proximal causes explaining how volatiles emitted by herbivore-attacked plants can enhance plant defence in intact neighbouring plant. A comprehensive knowledge of these interactions may favour their integration in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}