Modern sweet pea cultivars have been perceived by
the public to have reduced levels of fragrance.
However, no information is currently available as to
whether this is due to changes in the total amount of
volatiles released by the flowers or to changes in the
chemical constituents of the floral bouquet. Similarly,
recent investigations on the vase life of sweet pea flowers
(Sexton, Porter, Littlejohn, & Thain, 1995) have
revealed that some postharvest treatments may signi®-
cantly prolong the period over which the flowers continue
to release detectable volatiles. Clearly in order to
attain a better understanding of the fundamental
mechanisms involved, detailed analyses of the constituent
volatiles are required.
Consequently, the objective of this initial study was
to identify, using headspace analysis, the major volatiles
present in the floral bouquet of cut sweet peas.