Composition of Carotenoids and Flavonoids in Narcissus Cultivars and their Relationship with Flower Color

Narcissus is widely used for cut flowers and potted plants, and is one of the most important commercial bulbous flowers in the floricultural industry. In this study, ten carotenoid and eighteen flavonoid compounds from the perianths and coronas of fifteen narcissus cultivars were measured by HPLC–APCI-MS/MS and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Among these, six carotenoids, a total of seventeen flavonols and chlorogenic acid were identified in narcissus for the first time. A multivariate analysis was used to explore the relationship between flower color and pigment composition. We found that all-trans-violaxanthin and total carotenoid content were the main factors that affected flower color. These investigations could provide a global view of flower color formation and a theoretical basis for hybridization breeding in narcissus.

水仙（Narcissus）广泛应用于切花与盆栽领域，是花卉产业中极具重要性的商业球根花卉之一。本研究采用高效液相色谱-大气压化学电离串联质谱（HPLC–APCI-MS/MS）与超高效液相色谱-四级杆飞行时间串联质谱（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS），对15个水仙栽培品种的花被片与副花冠中的10种类胡萝卜素及18种类黄酮化合物进行了分析检测。其中，6种类胡萝卜素、共计17种黄酮醇及绿原酸为水仙中首次被鉴定的成分。本研究通过多变量分析方法探究了花色与色素组成之间的内在关联，发现全反式紫黄质与类胡萝卜素总含量是影响水仙花色的核心因素。上述研究可为全面解析水仙花色形成机制提供全局性视角，并为水仙杂交育种工作提供坚实的理论依据。