ABSTRACT
Flowers whose scents have been studied over the years have tended to be, for obvious reasons, highly scented to the human nose. This chapter describes the use of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant for floral scent studies by focusing on investigations involving the large family of genes encoding terpene synthases. A. thaliana flowers emit very little scent, consisting mostly of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, and this scent mixture is barely detected by humans. Volatile terpenes are found in the aroma bouquet emitted by many insect-pollinated flowers. The expression of terpene synthases in the stigma could be involved in protecting the moist surface area against fungal growth, since the monoterpenes produced have antimicrobial activity. The biosynthesis of several sesquiterpenes that have antimicrobial activity could therefore be important for defending the region against microbial infection. This might also be of significance in protecting the wound zone after abscission of the floral organs.
