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Volatile metabolome and floral transcriptome analyses reveal the volatile components of strongly fragrant progeny of Malus × robusta

Authors :
Guofang Li
Jia Liu
He Zhang
Linguang Jia
Youxian Liu
Jiuyang Li
Shiwei Zhou
Pengjuan Wang
Ming Tan
Jianzhu Shao
Source :
Frontiers in Plant Science, Vol 14 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.

Abstract

Floral fragrance is an important trait that contributes to the ornamental properties and pollination of crabapple. However, research on the physiological and molecular biology of the floral volatile compounds of crabapple is rarely reported. In this study, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of the floral volatile compounds of standard Malus robusta flowers (Mr), and progeny with strongly and weakly fragrant flowers (SF and WF, respectively), were conducted. Fifty-six floral volatile compounds were detected in the plant materials, mainly comprising phenylpropane/benzene ring-type compounds, fatty acid derivatives, and terpene compounds. The volatile contents were significantly increased before the early flowering stage (ES), and the contents of SF flowers were twice those of WF and Mr flowers. Odor activity values were determined for known fragrant volatiles and 10–11 key fragrant volatiles were identified at the ES. The predominant fragrant volatiles were methyl benzoate, linalool, leaf acetate, and methyl anthranilate. In the petals, stamens, pistil, and calyx of SF flowers, 26 volatiles were detected at the ES, among which phenylpropane/benzene ring-type compounds were the main components accounting for more than 75% of the total volatile content. Functional analysis of transcriptome data revealed that the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway was significantly enriched in SF flowers. By conducting combined analyses between volatiles and differentially expressed genes, transcripts of six floral scent-related genes were identified and were associated with the contents of the key fragrant volatiles, and other 23 genes were potentially correlated with the key volatile compounds. The results reveal possible mechanisms for the emission of strong fragrance by SF flowers, and provide a foundation for improvement of the floral fragrance and development of new crabapple cultivars.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1664462X
Volume :
14
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.2ce2e8d78e694cf8a4f71aaae125b905
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1065219