ABSTRACT
The chapter deals with the ornamental plants and some of the molecular aspects that regulate the important characteristics like flower organ identity, color and fragrance, besides the significance of biotechnological interventions in the modification of floral traits like color, fragrance, longevity, flowering time and in the production of novel flowering varieties. A detailed information about the expression pattern of different genes involved in the overall regulation of flower development (initiation of flower meristem, flower development, flower maturation) has been provided, evident to the fact that flowering is under tight developmental or genetic control. The transition from ABC model of flowering in Arabidopsis to ABCDE model in Orchids has been discussed. Investigations on the biochemical nature of floral scents have revealed that many small volatile compounds including terpenoids (monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids), phenylpropanoid, benzenoid, fatty acid derivatives, and other compounds (containing nitrogen or sulfur) are 60involved and that the presence of different colors is attributed to diverse range of plant pigments including anthocyanins, carotenoids, chlorophylls, betalains, etc. Biotechnology offers a great scope for the modification of traits of ornamental plants like flower color, flower fragrance, flowering time, and other related aspects. This chapter has been presented to discuss in detail some molecular aspects of flowering ornamentals in order to gain an insight into the current understanding in the regulation of the various aspects of flowering and genetic modifications of these ornamentals.
