The unique fruity aroma of strawberries, a popular fruit of high economic value, is closely related to all the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contained within them. Despite extensive studies on the identification of VOCs in strawberries, systematic studies on fruit-aroma-related VOCs are few, resulting in a lack of effective standards for accurately distinguishing aroma types. In the present study, solid-phase micro extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were used to analyze and identify VOCs in the ripe fruit of each of the 16 strawberry varieties at home and abroad and to explore their characteristic aroma components and the classification of such varieties by aroma type. The results suggested remarkable variations in the types and contents of VOCs in different strawberry varieties, of which esters were dominant. The principal volatile components, consisting of four esters, three alcohols, one aldehyde, and one ketone, in 16 strawberry varieties were detected based on the absolute and relative contents of VOCs in the fruit. The characteristic aroma components in strawberries, containing nine esters, six aldehydes, and one alcohol, were determined based on the aroma values of different VOCs, and the characteristic aroma components were divided into five types further based on aroma descriptions. Sixteen strawberry varieties were finally divided into four aroma types, namely, peachy, pineapple, fruity, and floral, based on the contributions of different types. The results provided a basis and standard for classifying strawberries by aroma type, studying the hereditary regularity of the fruity aroma of strawberries, and improving aroma quality.

The floral headspace compounds of Chinese Rosa rugosa germplasms that were isolated by an automated headspace sampler with built-in trap, and followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for identification and quantification. Up to 33 volatile compounds were identified from the 23 rose germplasms, including nine alcohols, five esters, three alkanes, 10 terpenes, three aldehydes, two ketones, and one ether. The main floral components identified were 2-phenylethanol, β-citronellol, ethanol, and n-hexane. ‘xizi’, ‘miaofengshan’, ‘xiangciguo’, and ‘tangbai’ contained the highest amounts of 2-phenylethanol at 84.66 μg·g^-1, β-citronellol at 70.98 μg·g^-1, ethanol at 83.87 μg·g^-1, and n-hexane at 18.23 μg·g^-1, respectively. ‘Rongchengyesheng’, ‘tanghong’, ‘xizi’, ‘miaofengshan’, and ‘baizizhi’ could be considered good materials for extracting rose oil and breeding new cultivars.

Fragaria × ananassa Duch, which among the youngest fruit crops, comprises many popular cultivars that are famous for their favored color and aroma. The regulation roles of AP2/ERF (APETALA2/ethylene-responsive element-binding factor) transcription factors in fruit flavor and color regulation have been studied in several fruit crops. The AP2 family of strawberry, which was ignored in recent AP2/ERF identification studies, was explored in this study. A total of 64 FaAP2 (Fragaria × ananassa AP2) transcription factors belonging to the euAP2, euANT (AINTEGUMENTA), and baselANT groups were identified with canonical insertion motifs in two AP2 domains. The motif identification illustrated that motifs 1, 5, and 2 indicated a corresponding AP2 domain repeat 1 with a linker region, and motifs 6, 4, 3 indicated a corresponding AP2 domain repeat 2, all of which were highly conserved. By synteny analysis, FaAP2 paralogs were identified in each sub-genome, and FaAP2 gene duplication and loss explained the unequal AP2 loci of sub-genomes. The expression profile in three cultivars indicated that six FaAP2 paralogs—four WRI (WRINKLED) gene homologs and two AP2 gene homologs—were candidate regulators of red fruit color and/or special fruit aroma. All these finds provide a basis for further investigations into role of AP2 in fruit color and aroma and would be helpful in the targeted selection of strawberry fruit quality to improve breeding.

A prickle is an acuminate protuberance formed by the deformation of plant trichomes together with a few cortical cells. It is a type of multicellular eglandular trichome with special morphology, which originates from the phloem but is not connected to the xylem. Rosa rugosa is an important ornamental/commercial plant and an important raw material in the food and perfume industries. However, the firm prickles on its stems are inconvenient to field management, the harvesting of flowers and garden management. The TTG1 transcription factor related to the development of prickle was isolated from R. rugosa in the present study. Its expression patterns in different tissues and varieties were analyzed. Results showed the expression level of the RrTTG1 gene was highest in the leaves, followed by the stems, but was lower in the pericarps and petals. Moreover, the higher expression level of the RrTTG1 gene in all tissues of the ?Ciguo rose?, as compared with that of the ?Weihai wild rose?, follows the results of field morphological observation. Therefore, the RrTTG1 transcription factor is likely to regulate the development of rose prickles. This study allows for further discussion on the molecular mechanisms of prickle formation and development in R. rugosa and provides a molecular basis for the cultivation of roses with fewer or no prickles via genetic engineering.

In China, Rosa rugosa is cultivated as a source of natural perfumes. Rose essential oil is known as “liquid gold”, given its high economic and health value. 2-phenylethanol accounts for more than 10% of the total mass fraction of the essential oil derived from R. rugosa. The regulatory mechanisms underlying 2-phenylethanol metabolism in R. rugosa, however, remain unclear. In this study, RrAAAT and RrPPDC1, two genes related to 2-phenylethanol synthesis, were cloned from R. rugosa. Expression analysis revealed that RrAAAT and RrPPDC1 were highly expressed in rose flowers in the full opening and withering stages, and in calyxes. The overexpression vectors of RrAADC, RrAAAT, and RrPPDC1 were established and transformed into Petunia hybrida via Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Results demonstrated that the overexpression of RrAADC and RrAAAT increased the 2-phenylethanol content of transgenic petunia flowers. The results of this study provide a basis for the introduction of genes related to 2-phenylethanol synthesis into roses to increase the 2-phenylethanol content of rose essential oil.