Lilium Floral Fragrance: A Biochemical and Genetic Resource for Aroma and Flavor

Lilies (common name for Lilium species) are monocotyledonous flowering plants that are mostly native to the northern hemisphere. The genus Lilium includes over 110 individual species, and a vast number of hybrid cultivars and are among the top produced domestic fresh cut flowers and potted plants. Despite the overall popularity of Lilium plants, many Oriental and Orienpet hybrid lily flowers emit copious amounts of volatile organic compounds, which can negatively affect a lily consumer’s purchasing decision. The objective of this research focuses on the biochemical and genetic characterization of Lilium floral fragrance. Over seventy volatile molecules at varying concentrations are identified across five cultivars, which provide a diverse biochemical array and germplasm population for candidate gene screening. Comparative genomic generated candidates are cloned and sequenced from multiple cultivars. Transcriptional profiling results identify differentially accumulating RNA transcripts that appear associated with the presence of specific volatile molecules. These transcripts can be used as floral volatile markers for lily breeders world-wide, resulting in Oriental lily cultivars with altered floral fragrance and increased consumer acceptability. The translational idea is that the characterization of biosynthetic pathways giving rise to volatiles in lily flowers will hasten development of fruits, vegetables, and herbs with improved flavor, because volatiles positively associated to flavor in strawberry, blueberry, citrus, tomato, and basil are also present in lily floral fragrance.