Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42174649›Full record

ArticlePlant methods2026

Coupling of high-resolution mass spectrometer and photosynthesis system for comprehensive leaf volatile metabolite profiling.

Kelsey R Carter, Christian Mark Salvador, Savana Colegate, Alyssa Carrell, Jun Hyung Lee, Robert Smith, Marshal McDonnell, Sara Jawdy, David McLennen, Tyler Hackworth and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Plant methods, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Kelsey R Carter *Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Christian Mark Salvador *Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA. salvadorcg@ornl.gov.
Savana ColegateEnvironmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Alyssa CarrellBiological Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Jun Hyung LeeBiological Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Robert SmithComputer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Marshal McDonnellComputer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Sara JawdyBiological Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
David McLennenBiological Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Tyler HackworthBiological Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Lianhong GuEnvironmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Melanie A MayesEnvironmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Udaya KalluriBiological Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Thomas D SharkeyDepartment of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
David J WestonBiological Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.

Funding

National Science Foundation IOS-2022495
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLeaf-level biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emissions represent a major source of organic gases in the atmosphere, influencing both climate and air quality. These emissions are strongly driven by environmental perturbations, which affect individual plant- to ecosystem-level processes. Uncovering all the BVOCs and understanding how their emissions respond to altered environmental conditions provide critical insights into vegetation-driven changes in atmospheric chemistry. We developed a tandem instrumentation setup that integrates a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) with parts-per-trillion detection limits and a photosynthetic infrared gas exchange system for the untargeted survey of all the BVOCs. This novel system enables simultaneous, real-time monitoring of BVOC emissions and photosynthetic parameters at the leaf level, offering new opportunities to disentangle the physiological and environmental drivers of VOC release. Furthermore, we established the VOC Analysis and Processing Optimization Resource (VAPOR), an open-access software tool designed for rapid data post-processing and the analysis of the variability of hundreds of BVOCs. We assessed the performance of the tandem system under varying background conditions, using standard gas mixtures and a range of environmental factors.

resultsBlank emissions were substantially lower for major BVOCs (e.g., isoprene) compared to those observed in plant emissions. Despite this, the observation of background-level VOCs highlights the importance of routinely acquiring and accounting for blank measurements in analyses using the coupled instrumentation. Introduction of known VOC concentrations to the system demonstrated a linear response across different compounds with varying molecular compositions, indicating minimal gas loss regardless of chemical moieties within the coupled instrumentation. We applied the optimized system to investigate the physiological mechanisms driving BVOC emissions across different genotypes of poplar and pennycress. The high mass resolution capabilities of the PTR-ToF-MS, coupled with comprehensive VAPOR-driven data analysis, enabled the identification of several important BVOCs, including methanol and methanethiol; these BVOCs displayed substantial variation across pennycress genotypes and showed concentrations ~ 100-350% higher than the blank. Moreover, isoprene emissions varied significantly among poplar genotypes grown in different potting media.

conclusionsTandem instrumentation offers a powerful tool for profiling volatile molecular markers and elucidating their genetic and environmental underpinnings. This approach enhances our ability to predict BVOC emissions in response to genotype by environmental interactions and contributes to a deeper understanding of vegetation responses to environmental changes.

Indexed as

Biogenic volatile organic compoundsPhotosynthesisPTR-ToF-MSTandem instrumentationVolatolomics

Identifiers

PMID42174649
PMCPMC13308210

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.