Key Points
- Researchers at the University of Reading used thermal desorption and GC-MS techniques to profile volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by two potato cultivars, Maris Piper and Désirée, under drought and well-watered conditions. This study aimed to identify VOCs as potential non-invasive biomarkers for drought stress in potatoes.
- Drought triggers complex physiological and biochemical responses in plants, such as stomatal closure, production of osmoprotectants, and changes in root architecture. These responses are often accompanied by altered VOC emissions, which may vary by cultivar.
- The study identified several VOCs that differed significantly between treatments and cultivars, including two farnesene isomers and other hydrocarbons. While VOC responses are cultivar-specific, understanding their genetic basis could support breeding strategies for more drought-resilient potatoes, which is critical for future food security
Researchers at the University of Reading (United Kingdom) explored whether differences in volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions among potato cultivars could serve as indicators of drought resilience. Their study aimed to determine if VOC profiles reflect genotypic variations linked to adaptive efficiency under drought stress, positioning VOCs as potential biomarkers for early stress detection in potatoes.
Using thermal desorption collection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques, the team profiled the VOCs emitted by two potato cultivars, Maris Piper and Désirée, under well-watered and drought conditions, across a four-week period (n = 3 per cultivar, treatment, and time-point). A paper based on their research was published in Frontiers in Plant Science (1).
A major abiotic stress factor which severely affects plant growth, productivity, and survival, drought stress is triggered by a lack of adequate water for supporting metabolism; this then interrupts the normal physiological processes of the plant, and leads to reduced photosynthesis, impaired nutrient uptake, and oxidative damage (2). When dealing with a drought condition, plants activate a series of complex biochemical and physiological mechanisms which are aimed at the conservation of water and the maintenance of cellular function; these responses include stomatal closure to reduce water loss, the accumulation of osmoprotectants (small organic molecules with neutral charge and low toxicity at high concentrations that help organisms to survive in stressful situations), the upregulation of antioxidant enzymes, and the modification of root architecture to enhance water uptake (3—5).
While plants produce VOCs in an ongoing manner, they can alter their metabolic pathways as a response to environmental and biological stimuli; this leads to the production and release of certain VOCs in specific circumstances (6). There have been recent advancements in plant physiology and analytical chemistry which have drawn attention to VOC’s potential as non-invasive biomarkers for the detection of drought stress in crops, including potatoes (7,8). One of the most important crops globally, the potato serves as a staple for millions of people (9). Highly sensitive to water availability, with drought conditions leading to substantial reductions in both yield and quality, the potato, as a shallow-rooted plant, is especially vulnerable to fluctuations in soil moisture, making them a prime target of drought stress (10,11).
The research team identified 23 compounds, and tentatively identified another 49 compounds, including sesquiterpenes, alkanes, monoterpenes, and methylbenzenes. Statistical analysis revealed that seven compounds showed significant differences between cultivars and drought/well-watered treatments. Two farnesene isomers, a xylene isomer, 2,6-dimethyldecane, decahydronaphthalene, and 2-methyldecalin were identified as tentative markers of drought stress (1).
The researchers state that, while VOC responses are complex and cultivar-specific, posing challenges for the identification of universal biomarkers for drought tolerance in potato, there are opportunities presented.The understanding of the genetic basis of desirable VOC profiles, especially those associated with enhanced physiological resilience or effective stress signaling, can influence breeding strategies. Further research was suggested that integrates multi-omics approaches with functional gene validation (in conditions where root growth and water uptake is not restricted by confounding factors such as pot binding) will be crucial for studying these complex interactions, as well as for the harnessing the ability of VOCs to develop varieties of potato that are more drought-tolerant, a development that will contribute greatly to global food security as the world is faced with increasing environmental challenges for potato production (1).
References
- Bell, L.; Radha, K.; Hill, D. The Smell of Spud-Stress: A Pilot Study Testing the Viability of Volatile Organic Compounds as Markers of Drought Stress in Potato (Solanum tuberosum). Front. Plant Sci. 2025, 16, 1579611. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1579611
- Giordano, M.;Petropoulos, S. A.; Rouphael, Y. Response and Defence Mechanisms of Vegetable Crops Against Drought, Heat and Salinity Stress. Agriculture 2021, 11, 463–463. DOI: 10.3390/agriculture11050463
- Gervais, T.; Creelman, A.; Li, X. Q. et al. Potato Response to Drought Stress: Physiological and Growth Basis. Front. Plant Sci. 2021, 12, 698060. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.698060
- Wahab, A.; Abdi, G.; Saleem, M. H. et al. Plants' Physio-Biochemical and Phyto-Hormonal Responses to Alleviate the Adverse Effects of Drought Stress: A Comprehensive Review. Plants (Basel) 2022, 11 (13), 1620. DOI: 10.3390/plants11131620
- Osmoprotectants. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmoprotectant (accessed 2025-08-06).
- Salerno, G.; Frati, F.;Marino, G. et al. Ederli, L., Pasqualini, S., Loreto, F., et al. Effects of Water Stress on Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds by Vicia faba, and Consequences for Attraction of the Egg Parasitoid Trissolcus basalis. J. Pest Sci. 2017, 90, 635–647. DOI: 10.1007/s10340-016-0830-z
- Abbas, F.; Zhou, Y.; O'Neill Rothenberg, D. et al. Aroma Components in Horticultural Crops: Chemical Diversity and Usage of Metabolic Engineering for Industrial Applications. Plants (Basel) 2023, 12 (9), 1748. DOI: 10.3390/plants12091748
- Frank, T.; Engel, K. H. Metabolomic Analysis of Plants and Crops. In Metabolomics in Food and Nutrition; Woodhead Publishing, 2013, pp. 148-191.
- Agrawal, S.; Kumar, A.; Gupta, Y. et al. Potato Biofortification: A Systematic Literature Review on Biotechnological Innovations of Potato for Enhanced Nutrition. Horticulturae 2024,10, 292. DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae10030292
- Obidiegwu, J. E.; Bryan, G. J.; Jones, H. G. et al. Coping with Drought: Stress and Adaptive Responses in Potato and Perspectives for Improvement. Front. Plant Sci. 2015, 6, 542. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00542
- Hill, D.; Nelson, D.; Hammond, J. et al. Morphophysiology of Potato (Solanum tuberosum) in Response to Drought Stress: Paving the Way Forward. Front. Plant Sci. 2021, 11, 597554.DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.597554
