What Makes Fresh Cut Grass Smell?
The smell of freshly cut grass on a warm summer day might make you think of lazy days in a hammock, sipping lemonade. But to the mangled grass producing ...
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You know that grassy smell right after you mow the lawn? It's kinda fresh, or maybe reminds you of spring and warm weather. Grass doesn't normally smell like that, though. So what's the deal when it gets cut? Well, when their leaves are injured, grass and other leafy plants make organic compounds for protection. Some of these chemicals called Green Leaf Volatiles, or GLVs, evaporate into the air and produce that signature scent, and we think these GLVs are important signals that attract the predators of grass munching insects. When a leafy plant is damaged, it makes lots of chemicals to protect itself; Some of these chemicals are signaling molecules inside the plant. Jasmonic acid and salicylic acid, for example, help the plant synthesize compounds that make it less appetizing...
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You know that grassy smell right after you mow the lawn? It's kinda fresh, or maybe reminds you of spring and warm weather. Grass doesn't normally smell like that, though. So what's the deal when it gets cut? Well, when their leaves are injured, grass and other leafy plants make organic compounds for protection. Some of these chemicals called Green Leaf Volatiles, or GLVs, evaporate into the air and produce that signature scent, and we think these GLVs are important signals that attract the predators of grass munching insects. When a leafy plant is damaged, it makes lots of chemicals to protect itself; Some of these chemicals are signaling molecules inside the plant. Jasmonic acid and salicylic acid, for example, help the plant synthesize compounds that make it less appetizing...
