Developmental patterns of emission of scent compounds and related gene expression in roses of the cultivar Rosa x hybrida cv. ‘Yves Piaget’

• 2-Phenylethanol (2PE) and 3,5-dimethoxytoluene (DMT) are key scent compounds in Rosa x hybrida cv. ‘Yves Piaget’.
• The emission of 2PE and DMT as well as scent-related transcripts showed an organ- and development-specific pattern.
• The emission of 2PE and DMT increased during floral development and peaked at the fully unfurled stage.
• The gene transcripts of PAR and OOMT2, also increased during flower development.
• The expression levels of PAR and OOMT2 correlated positively with the emission of 2PE and DMT.

2-Phenylethanol (2PE) and 3,5-dimethoxytoluene (DMT) are characteristic scent compounds in specific roses such as Rosa x hybrida cv. ‘Yves Piaget’. We analyzed the endogenous concentrations and emission of 2PE and DMT during the unfurling process in different floral organs, as well as changes in transcript levels of the two key genes, PAR and OOMT2.The emission of both 2PE and DMT increased during floral development to reach peaks at the fully unfurled stage. The relative transcripts of PAR and OOMT2 also increased during floral development. Whereas the maximum for OOMT2 was found at the fully unfurled stage (stage 4), similar expression levels of PAR were detected at stage 4 and the senescence stage (stage 6). The results demonstrate a positive correlation between the expression levels of PAR and OOMT2 and the emission of 2PE and DMT. In addition, endogenous volatiles and relative transcripts showed tissue- and development-specific patterns.

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