Catering to the Contemporary Floral Consumer Using Genetics, Biochemistry, and Psychophysics

Consumer-assisted selection (CAS) is a research strategy that uses communication and input from consumers to understand desirable aspects of plants. Despite the clear fascination humans have with flowers, very little empirical research has been conducted to investigate the biological, psychological, and/or neurological basis for this attraction. We use psychophysics to explore what aspects of flowers interest various demographic groups of people. These results can provide a framework for defining ‘the iconic flower’ while illustrating variations in preferences between demographic groups. Next, understanding the genetic, molecular, and biochemical potential of various germplasm is essential to addressing what can and cannot be done for specific plants based on what consumers want. For example, if psychophysics data indicates that a large segment of flower buyers perceive certain lily floral fragrances to be off-putting; we would need to understand what volatile molecules floral fragrance consists of in these lilies. Additionally, knowledge of which proteins are involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of floral fragrance, and which genes these proteins correspond to greatly increase the ability to select for future lily cultivars with reduced or manipulated fragrance. Ultimately producing a lily cultivar that is catered to a very specific consumer segment.