PONE-D-23-38974Induction of volatile organic compounds in chrysanthemums plants following infection by RhizoctoniaPLOS ONE

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Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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5. Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Partly

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: This comprehensive study investigates the impact of Rhizoctonia solani infestation on ten cultivars of chrysanthemum, shedding light on both volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and biochemical composition of plants. Through meticulous analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the research reveals cultivar-specific variations in VOC emissions, with some displaying a broader spectrum compared to others. The investigation underscores the intricate interplay between cultivar, collection time, and Rhizoctonia infection, elucidating significant effects on VOCs. Notably, the study unveils alterations in biochemical composition induced by the infection, with a noteworthy decrease in carotenoid content and an increase in phenolics, offering valuable insights for disease management strategies and the development of resistant chrysanthemum cultivars. The manuscript is interesting and valuable, its novelty is clear. I only have some minor technical suggestions regarding the text.

- Please provide the initials of the authors when mentioning the species for the first time.

- Some older references in the Introduction can be updated.

- Some names of the cultivars are inconsistent throughout the text, e.g. Łuczniczka and Luczniczka.

- According to the Abstract, the plants were grown in controlled conditions in the glasshouse, yet there is no information on the light conditions.

- Avoid repetitions (see page 6).

- Sometimes in the text, you give detailed information about the producers of chemicals and equipment and sometimes only brief.

- Sometimes you use the abbreviation ml and sometimes mL (I suggest the latter one).

- Some parts of the text are unclear (see the corrected manuscript).

- Sometimes you are using a serial comma, and sometimes not.

- I suggest preparing a separate Conclusions chapter. What are the suggestions for future research?

- In the Reference list, Latin names should be written in italics.

- Grammar and punctuation require minor corrections.

For more specific comments, please see the corrected manuscript.

Reviewer #2: The manuscript is about the Induction of volatile organic compounds in chrysanthemum plants following Rhizoctonia solani infection. The manuscript contain important information for the scientific community. I have following suggestions to improve this.

Title: Change to “ chrysanthemum plants” instead of ”chrysanthemums plants” and add “solani” after Rhizoctonia as the study is on a specific bacterial infection.

Abstract;

The aim and the significance/application of the study was not well justified.

Introduction

Line 74- Please give some examples

Materials and methods

Line 134- What are the greenhouse conditions?

Line 145- Do you mean (Fig.1A)? Please be consistent.

Line 183- What is super-Q absorbent?

Line 204- Manufacturer of GC-MS?

Results:

Line 290 – “figures” and Line 299 “Figs”. Please be consistent.

Line 338- What trait?

Line 343- Please include the data not shown in supplementary materials to confirm significance.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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Attachments

Attachment

Submitted filename: Manuscript body CAM DP 22-11-2023.docx

Induction of volatile organic compounds in chrysanthemum plants following infection by Rhizoctonia solani

PONE-D-23-38974R1Dariusz Piesik

Dear Dr. Dariusz piesik,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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Kind regards,

Muhammad Anwar, PHD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #3: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #3: This study reveals changes in the volatile and biochemical responses of chrysanthemum plants to R. solani infestation, which may contribute to the development of disease management strategies and improvement of chrysanthemum cultivars' resistance to R. solani. The article presents significant research that offers a new perspective on the interactions between chrysanthemum plants and the pathogen R. solani. The experiments were conducted meticulously, and the methods of analysis are appropriate for the stated research objectives. The results are clearly presented, facilitating the understanding of the conclusions. The finding that R. solani infestation affects VOC emissions and biochemical composition of chrysanthemum is significant for both scientific understanding and agricultural practice. The discovery of reduced carotenoid content due to infestation may have important implications for plant breeding and protection. Furthermore, the suggested application of the study's results in the development of resistant chrysanthemum cultivars represents a valuable contribution to the field of plant breeding.

Overall, this article deserves recognition as a significant contribution to the scientific literature in the fields of plant pathology and plant breeding.

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #3: No

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