The Smell Of Cut Grass: A Plant's S.O.S.

Originally shared by Andres M. Trianon

The Smell Of Cut Grass: A Plant's S.O.S.
Join the Simple Science and Interesting Things Community and share interesting stuff!
https://plus.google.com/communities/117518490246975838002

There are a number of suggestions as to the purpose of the grass emitting these compounds when damaged. They are active against a range of bacteria, so one role they perform may be to protect the plant from bacteria and allow the cut ends to heal. Additionally, in plants, they are also released when insects damage the plant – they may act as a ‘signal’ of sorts to other plants, priming them to ‘switch on’ defensive mechanisms, or release compounds that attract the predators of such pests
http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/04/25/what-causes-the-smell-of-fresh-cut-grass/

http://www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Aroma-Chemistry-Smell-of-Fresh-Grass-724x1024.png