Editorial: Biosynthesis, regulation, and ecological roles of plant volatile organic compounds

Plants synthesize and release a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).These compounds are important components of floral and fruit aromas and also act as chemical signals that mediate interactions between plants and their biotic and abiotic environments. Plant VOCs are chemically diverse and include terpenoids, volatile phenylpropanoids/benzenoids, fatty acid derivatives, and various sulfur-and nitrogencontaining compounds. Their biosynthesis and emission are regulated by genetic background, developmental stage, tissue type, and environmental conditions.Plant VOC research has increasingly moved from descriptive profiling toward understanding the mechanisms that control VOC formation and ecological function.Advances in genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics have linked VOC variation with developmental programs, genetic variation, and environmental cues, while physiological and behavioral studies have clarified their roles in defense, plant-plant communication, and pollinator attraction. Recent work has also begun to reveal how receiver plants perceive airborne VOCs through processes including Ca²⁺-dependent signaling and KAI2-mediated perception (Aratani et al., 2023;Stirling et al., 2024).Against this background, the nine articles in this Research Topic address VOC biosynthesis and developmental regulation, environmental and cultivation-dependent variation, postharvest effects, and ecological interactions. (Dorey and Schiestl, 2024). Future studies should therefore consider not only the 80 genetic regulation of VOC biosynthesis but also environmental context and 81 methodological variation. (Li et al., 2024;Zeng et al., 2024). These findings