Although the instruments used by the researchers are rare, the team hopes that simpler methyl salicylate measurements could one day be made, giving farmers a simple way to detect the onset of a plant threat. "Historically, when we've tried to understand whether plants were happy and healthy or experiencing drought or limited by nutrients or being attacked by insects, we have had to go out and do a lot of hard work," said David Schimel, principal investigator and CEO of the National Ecological Observatory Network in Boulder, Colo., who was not part of the study. "You have to go out and collect leaves, or put out hundreds of insect traps. "If we could substitute for that an analytical measurement that could measure these critical compounds, it would either replace or very strongly complement these traditional measurements that are somewhat indirect," he added. The research is also important for understanding atmospheric chemistry. Organic compounds in the atmosphere contribute to ozone and particle formation. The new finding identifies a previously overlooked contribution to the atmospheric total. "People have realized over the years that we are still missing a fair amount of organic material that's not accounted for," Karl said. "In our research community we have almost a frenzy to find out how much we are off and how much we have accounted for." Related Links: |
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