Plant samples of Lepidium campestre (L.) W. T. Aiton (pepperwort) were analyzed in detail by GC and GC-MS. The analysis of the autolysates obtained from inflorescences, stems, leaves, and underground parts and the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation allowed the identification of a series of glucosinolate degradation products, mainly isothiocyanates and nitriles. Besides previously identified ones in this species, the analyses resulted in the identification of degradation metabolites identified in pepperwort for the first time, and suggested the presence of heptyl glucosinolate, 3- phenylpropyl glucosinolate, glucoiberverin, glucoiberin, sinalbin, glucoerucin, glucoberteroin, gluconasturtiin, glucolepigramin, glucolesquerellin, glucobrassicanapin, and glucotropaeolin in this species as the most likely glucosinolate precursors. The results showed the localized accumulation of glucoberteroin, glucoerucin, and glucolesquerellin in the roots, the plant organ most exposed to pathogens, whereas sinalbin and glucobrassicanapin were accumulated in the reproductive organs and the organs most exposed to herbivores, i.e. in the aerial parts of the plant.
Plants are better engineers: the complexity of plant organ morphogenesis
