抄録
Gentians (Gentiana triflora, G. scabra) are one of the most important ornamental plants, however, repellent odor emitted from their flowers makes them undesirable in indoor floral utilization. It is necessary to understand the component of their flower scent for breeding of new cultivars without repellent odor. Floral scent compounds of gentians were analyzed by the method of Head Space-Solid Phase Micro Extraction with GC-MS (HS-SPME/GC-MS). The level of scent emission from gentian flowers increased with the age of the flower and reached a maximum at three days after anthesis and decreased thereafter. Their flowers emitted volatiles throughout the day, and the amounts were higher at night than during the day. A total of 98 compounds were detected in 13 genotypes examined, and quantitative and qualitative variations were found. Of these compounds, several kinds of lilac aldehydes (terpenoids) were only detected in G. scabra. The results of principal component analysis showed that cultivars/lines classified in the same species were grouped with each other. Of the 13 genotypes, Ashiro-no-Natsu emitted the most abundant volatiles and has strong unpleasant odor. 2-Methylbutanoic acid is considered to be one of the major constituents responsible for the unpleasant odor of gentians.
