Abstract
A device has been developed for determining the influence of temperature, irradiance and relative air humidity on the emission of flower volatiles in situ. The compounds emitted from flowers of Trifolium repens L. are mainly products of cinnamic-acid metabolism. Phenethyl acetate was the dominant compound in the fragrance picture. Additionally, a number of sesquiterpenes were identified in the emissions. All compounds were emitted in a rhythmic manner with a maximum at 7–12 h after the light is switched on. Temperature had a strong effect on the the quantity of fragrance in the headspace. Emission at 10°C was significantly lower than at 15°C and 20°C. This difference can be attributed to a temperature effect on the secretion of volatiles rather than on the evaporation rate of volatiles. Light influenced fragrance emission significantly, the most intense emission being noted at high irradiances. No effect of relative humidity on fragrance emission could be detected. The composition of the fragrance picture was not influenced by the climatic factors. Emission was controlled by the light and dark intervals rather than by the endogenous clock.
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The authors wish to thank Mette Sørensen and Niels Midtgaard for technical assistance. Thanks to Hugo Fritzen from Danish Plant Breeding Ltd, St. Heddinge, Denmark, for providing plant material. We are grateful to P. Friis, Chemistry Department, H. Martens, Department of Plant Biology, both The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark, for constructive criticism and to P. Lakos for editorial assistance. The research was supported by the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council (Grant no. 13-4178 and 13-4580-1), The Danish Seed Testing Board and Stiftelsen Hofmansgave.
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Jakobsen, H.B., Olsen, C.E. Influence of climatic factors on emission of flower volatiles in situ. Planta 192, 365–371 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00198572
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00198572