Analysis of fragrance compounds in flowers of Chrysanthemum genus

Chrysanthemum is one of the four major cut flowers in the world, with high ornamental and economic value. Fragrance is an important ornamental character of chrysanthemum flowers, especially those consumed as tea and other foods, and the flower fragrance is the major determinant of the commercial value of chrysanthemum cultivars. Currently, however, the research on chrysanthemum flower fragrance is mainly focused on the composition and content of fragrant compounds, and a clear classification of fragrance types is lacking. Here, we divided chrysanthemum fragrance into six categories based on sensory evaluation and determined the identity and content of fragrant compounds of chrysanthemum accessions representative of each fragrance type by GC-MS. In addition, we analyzed the conserved aromatic substances responsible for the fruity fragrance type chrysanthemum with multi-functional development potential, providing a theoretical basis for creating new chrysanthemum germplasm with specific fragrance types. The results of this study can accelerate the breeding process of chrysanthemum accessions with new fragrance types.