Analysis of Relative Scent Intensity, Volatile Compounds and Gene Expression in Freesia “Shiny Gold”

Abstract

Scent is one of the most important economic traits in Freesia hybrida. “Shiny Gold”, a popular cultivar in South Korea, is widely cultivated for its scent. The relative scent intensity of “Shiny Gold” was approximately 16% higher in full-bloomed flower when compared to the yellow bud stage, while tissue-specifically, tepals showed higher intensity in electronic-nose (e-nose) analysis. E-nose analysis also showed that the scent intensity of “Shiny Gold” was higher and lower than “10C3-424” and “10C3-894”, respectively, and was similar to “Yvonne”. These results correlated to those of the olfactory tests. In total, 19 volatile compounds, including linalool, β-ocimene, D-limonene, trans-β-ionone were detected in gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Among these, linalool was the major volatile compound, accounting for 38.7% in “Shiny Gold”. Linalool synthase and TPS gene expression corresponded to the scent intensity of the four cultivars, with the lowest expression in the “10C3-424”. TPS 2, TPS 3, TPS 5, TPS 6 and TPS 8 were highly expressed in both bud and flower in “Shiny Gold”, while the expression of TPS 4 was lower, relative to other TPS genes in both the flowering stages. These results may aid in enhancing scent composition in Freesia cultivars using marker-assisted selection.

HS–SPME–GC–MS and Electronic Nose Reveal Differences in the Volatile Profiles of Hedychium Flowers

“…These data demonstrated that monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids had a significant influence on the floral characteristics of Hedychium accessions. Previous studies also showed that the expression of genes related to the biosynthesis of terpenoids in Anthurium [ 45 ], Lilium ‘Siberia’ [ 29 , 30 , 31 ], and Freesia [ 42 ] had a certain correlation with the volatilization of terpenoids. In the future, the relationship between genes related to the biosynthesis pathway of terpenoids and their volatile compounds will be worth exploring in Hedychium .…”

“…Mass spectra were obtained by automatic scanning at m/z 20 to 500 amu. The identification of compounds was perceived via comparing the mass spectra with NIST 08 at a match factor of ≥80 [ 42 , 51 ]. The data were processed using mass hunter qualitative analysis workflow software (Agilent Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA).…”

“…However, the E-nose system also has limitations regarding the identification of volatile compounds. Recently, the E-nose system has been used in various studies to determine the floral fragrance among different species and to distinguish between flowering stages and different floral organs [ 40 , 41 , 42 ]. However, there is no report regarding the use of an E-nose system to evaluate the floral fragrance in Hedychium .…”

Profiling of Volatile Compounds and Associated Gene Expression in Two Anthurium Cultivars and Their F1 Hybrid Progenies

“…'Alabama' were studied. The olfactory tests were performed by treated individuals [13]. The results showed that the proportion of fragrant plants of F1 generation from the cross (A.…”

“…To date, VOC profiles have been analyzed in many species, including Dianthus caryophyllus L. [4], Rosa × hybrida [5], Osmanthus fragrans Lour. [6], Freesia [7], Lycoris [8], Gelsemium sempervirens [9], Lilium [10], Chimonanthus praecox [11], Polianthes tuberosa L. [12], Prunus mume [3], and Freesia hybrida [13], amongst others. Although the VOCs emitted by flowers vary greatly among different species, they can be divided into three major groups according to their biosynthesis origins: terpenoids, phenylpropanoids/benzenoids, and fatty acid derivatives [14].…”