Assessment of vase quality and transcriptional regulation of sucrose transporter and invertase genes in cut peony (Paeonia lactiflora ‘Yang Fei Chu Yu’) treated by exogenous sucrose

• Published in: Postharvest biology and technology Vol. 143; pp. 92 - 101
• Main Authors: Xue, Jingqi, Tang, Ye, Wang, Shunli, Yang, Ruowen, Xue, Yuqian, Wu, Chaohai, Zhang, Xiuxin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.09.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Cut peony; Flowers; Flowers & plants; Fructose; Gene expression; Gene regulation; Genes; Glucose; Invertase; Osmotic potential; Paeonia lactiflora; Product life cycle; Quality; Quality assessment; Sucrose; Sucrose transporter; Sugar; Transcription; Vase life; Vases; Water uptake; Sucrose transporter; Paeonia lactiflora; Gene expression; Vase life; Cut peony; Invertase
• ISSN: 0925-5214; 1873-2356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2018.04.014

[Display omitted] •Sucrose treatment improved cut peony vase quality by prolonging vase life.•Sucrose treatment prolonged the number of days when the flowers were fully opened.•Both energetic and osmotic processes may be involved in vase quality improvement.•Both SUTs and INVs may be involved in regulating the vase quality of cut flowers. Cut peonies (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) have become increasingly popular worldwide in recent years. However, the limited vase life and often poor vase quality have negatively affected the commercial development of this ornamental flower. In this study, 20 g L−1 sucrose was added to the vase solution of cut peony (‘Yang Fei Chu Yu’) to better understand the effect of sucrose on the vase quality. The results showed that sucrose treatment increased the number of days during which the flowers were fully opened by approximately 1.3 d, whereas treatment effects on the opening process were limited. Sucrose treatment delayed the decrease in flower fresh weight and sucrose concentration of the petals, while increasing glucose and fructose concentrations. Two sucrose transporter (SUT) genes, PlSUT1 and PlSUT2, and five invertase (INV) genes, PlCWIN1, PlVIN1, PlCIN1, PlCIN2 and PlCIN3, were isolated from a peony transcriptional database. Gene expression by RT-qPCR showed that both PlSUT2 and PlSUT4 were induced by sucrose treatment, indicating their putative role in transporting sucrose from the vase solution to the flowers. Among the five INVs, the expression of PlCWIN1 was greater in sucrose-treated flowers than in the controls from day 3 to the end of the vase period, indicating its possible role in increasing the number of days when the flowers were fully opened. The expression of PlVIN1 decreased in control flowers, but was delayed by sucrose treatment, especially on day 3. Since PlVIN1 was predicted to be located in the vacuole, it is highly possible that the expression of PlVIN1 helped to increase the vacuolar osmotic potential through the accumulation of glucose and fructose, thereby increasing water uptake for maintenance of flowers at the fully opened stage. Among the three PlCINs, the expression of PlCIN2 was much higher in sucrose-treated than in the control flowers throughout the vase period, indicating its major role in improving vase quality through sucrose treatment. Our study indicates that both SUTs and INVs are involved in maintaining the vase quality of cut peony flowers.