cycl
growers know
MORE THAN A
PRETTY SMELL
METHYL JASMONATE,
For centuries,
methyl jasmonate
has been used
in perfumes and
teas as a component of the
fragrance jasmine. It wasn’t
until the middle of the
20th century that scientists
began to understand its
role in plant defense
and communication.
by Chris Bond
114
grow cycle
PLANT DEFENDER & COMMUNICATOR
M
ethyl jasmonate (usually
abbreviated as MeJa and
occasionally as MJ) is akin to
Edvard Munch’s famous painting
The Scream in the plant world. This
amazing plant-signaling compound
“yells” out to other plants when there is
danger afoot (aleaf?). If that weren’t talent enough,
it is also a key component in the physical defense
of plants and many of its necessary functions
unrelated to plant defense.