Volatile organic compound emissions from flowers of the most occurring and economically important species of fruit trees

Six agriculturally important fruit species were screened for emissions of isoprene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at full bloom. The air from a Teflon growth chamber containing the tested plants was collected on carbon absorbents and analyzed by thermal desorption gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Over 80 individual compounds were identified. All the screened species were isoprene emitters and revealed a unique fingerprint profile determined by monoterpenes. Differences in relative composition of monoterpenes occurred mainly between pome and stone fruit plants. Linalool was emitted exclusively by apple and pear flowers, whereas apricot, cherry and plum showed a pattern dominated by alpha-pinene and to a less extent by camphene. Limonene appeared to be the most abundant emitted compound from peach flowers. Preliminary quantification of monoterpene emissions indicated that, at full broom, cherry was the major emitter and peach the minor one. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.