Understanding VOC blends involved in AOD opens doors for early detection and semiochemical-based management of this complex decline syndrome.

#ChemicalEcology #TreeHealth #Microbiology

@rothamsted.bsky.social @forestresearchuk.bsky.social @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @drcarriebrady.bsky.social

Key results:
• Foliage of AOD-symptomatic trees emits characteristic VOCs
• Virgin female Agrilus biguttatus prefer the odor of symptomatic foliage
• AOD-associated bacteria in necrotic lesions emit newly characterized VOCs
• Gravid females orient toward a blend of bacterial + bark VOCs

The role of volatile cues in mediating tree host-bacteria-insect interactions in acute oak decline Thomas et al. provide evidence that volatile semiochemicals govern biotic interactions between a wood-boring beetle and its associated bacteria in acute oak decline. The authors propose that Agrilus b...

New publication in @currentbiology.bsky.social !

We show how volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mediate interactions in acute oak decline (AOD), linking oak trees, bacteria, and Agrilus biguttatus beetles.

🔗 www.cell.com/current-biol...

Synthetic VOCs from T. hamatum—especially 1-octen-3-one—were strongly antifungal, arresting growth of crop pathogens like Botrytis cinerea and Gaeumannomyces tritici. Findings support the use of VOCs as tools for pathogen management in sustainable agriculture.
#ChemicalEcology #Semiochemicals

In confrontation assays, T. hamatum GD12 suppressed the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Volatile collections from the assays, followed by GC and GC-MS analysis, revealed that several T. hamatum VOCs were induced during confrontation, supporting a VOC-mediated mechanism

🚨New pre-print: we show that the beneficial soil fungus Trichoderma hamatum GD12 uses volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to suppress crop pathogens. Link to the study here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Development of a bioassay guided genome mining approach for antifungal natural product discovery from pseudomonads Zymoseptoria tritici causes Septoria Leaf Blotch disease of wheat and has evolved to overcome most chemical and genetic control methods. As such, new tools are required for future disease control. We...

🚨 New preprint!
We've developed a bioassay-guided genome mining approach to identify bacterial secondary metabolites that inhibit Zymoseptoria tritici — a major fungal pathogen of wheat.
Available now on bioRxiv: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Great day at the Oak Health & Plant Biosecurity Event at Kew Gardens, hearing updates on oak health research and visiting Kew’s oak collection! @actionoak.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social #ActionOak #PlantHealth

📢New Paper! Identifying subtle differences in the molecular structure of a sex pheromone could ultimately help protect vital stored legume crops from the destructive dried bean beetle. 🫘🪲 @royentsoc.bsky.social
Full story 👇
www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/bean-be...

Tree-killing beetle found to be attracted to Britain’s most common spruce Discovery of pest in UK raises fears for Sitka spruce, which accounts for half of country’s commercial plantations A beetle that has previously devastated Norway spruce populations across continental Europe has been found to be equally attracted to the…

Tree-killing beetle found to be attracted to Britain’s most common spruce

Great to be involved with this study- we show that the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) can identify and colonize both Sitka and Norway spruce trees, providing insights for the management of the forest pest #ChemicalEcology #PestManagement

It's so nice being back at #MMEG2024 in Southampton finally presenting the results of our study in insect-bacteria interactions @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @gathomas12.bsky.social

Using dynamic headspace collections for bacterial volatile sampling This protocol describes a step-by-step guide for sampling Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the headspace of bacterial cultures, using dynamic headspace collections.

A new protocol from the Chemical Ecology group @rothamsted.bsky.social has now been published on @protocolsio.bsky.social: 'Using dynamic headspace collections for bacterial volatile sampling'.

Link: www.protocols.io/view/using-d...

#ChemicalEcology #Microbiology #Volatiles #Semiochemicals

Hi #ChemicalEcologists,

Just created a starter package for networking people in our field 😆 Please let me know if people need to be added!

go.bsky.app/KzwBnhN

I'm excited to announce a PhD studentship, based at UofYork, exploring how land management in African savanna affects climate, past and present. I'm joined by the fabulous
Prof Colin Beale & @sabineclarke.bsky.social
to join historic delivery of ecosystem functions with future savanna management.

Selenium alters the gene content but not the taxonomic composition of the soil microbiome - Environmental Microbiome Background Microbiomes, essential to ecosystem processes, face strong selective forces that can drive rapid evolutionary adaptation. However, our understanding of evolutionary processes within natural...

🦠 New paper fresh out of press: the first results from a really cool system just out in #EnvironmentalMicrobiome 🦠

environmentalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Pest Management Science Call for Papers Special issue: Harnessing Chemical Ecology for Improved Pest management. This special issue welcomes original research and review papers relating to all aspects of how chemical ecology can be used to address crop security challenges, including the following suggested topics:

Just over one month left to submit to our Special Issue in Pest Management Science: "Harnessing Chemical Ecology for Improved Pest Management" 🪲🌿

Deadline: December 31, 2024

📖 Learn more and submit here:

scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/...

Please share!

"Unlock Nature's Potential" Join @drjohnphreade.bsky.social, @ipmtom.bsky.social, @randybenjamin.bsky.social and me for a funded #PhD at HAU!

Optimise plant essential oil biopesticides for integrated pest management.

More info: warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fa...

#Sustainability #AgTech #EcoFriendly

Fully-funded PhD position with Gareth Thomas @rothamsted.bsky.social and myself on entomopathogenic fungi and pest-host-parasitoid interactions 🌽

DEADLINE 11 December

Apply here 👉

www.swbio.ac.uk/programme/ho...