Journal of Tea Science Research, 2024, Vol.14, No.6, 322-334 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/jtsr 331 7.3 Green breeding strategies for stable and resource-efficient aroma traits Green breeding emphasizes the use of tea tree genetic diversity and multi-omics data to select new varieties that are both fragrant and stable under the premise of protecting the ecology. By rationally combining the alleles of the parents, especially exploring hybrid advantages, it is expected to breed varieties with multiple and complex aromas (Fu et al., 2024). Multi-omics analysis can not only help identify the key modules that regulate aroma accumulation, but also provide a design blueprint for the aroma gene network to support targeted breeding (Zheng et al., 2019; Chen et al., 2023b; Gu et al., 2023). In recent years, researchers have also begun to pay attention to the intersection between aroma and resistance. Some genes that regulate aroma, such as members of the TPS and UGT families, are actually involved in the stress response mechanism (Wang et al., 2021; 2024; Yue et al., 2025). This makes the breeding strategy no longer simply pursue aroma concentration, but emphasizes the dual improvement of "aroma" and "resistance". The goal is to allow excellent aroma to be stably expressed in complex environments, reduce external inputs such as pesticides, and promote the development of the tea industry in a more sustainable direction (Zeng et al., 2020; Yue et al., 2025). 8 Concluding Remarks In recent years, the genome research of tea trees has made rapid progress, and the synthesis pathways of many key aroma substances have gradually become clear. Terpene synthases such as TPS are closely related to the production of volatile compounds such as monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Through QTL positioning, multi-omics joint analysis and other methods, researchers have found that the expansion of gene families, the variation of regulatory elements, and especially the changes in transcription factor binding sites are key factors affecting aroma diversity. At the same time, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility also play an important role in the expression of aroma genes, especially in processing links such as withering and killing. But, not all aroma formation mechanisms are exactly the same. Some pathways are very conservative between different varieties, but we can also see a lot of "personalized" regulation. In high-fragrance varieties such as "Huangdan" and "Chungui", there are not only specific allele variations, but also family expansions of some structural genes, which are the underlying reasons for their more prominent aroma. Some varieties also have differences in alternative splicing patterns and different stress response networks, which together constitute their unique aroma spectrum. Despite a lot of progress, the genetic variation that can truly fully explain the aroma traits is still far from being in place. The role of SNPs, InDels and even structural variations needs to be explored in more varieties. To truly understand the logic of the formation of tea aroma, it is far from enough to rely on a single type of data. The genome, transcriptome, metabolome, and epigenetic group must all be combined. At the same time, the integration of synthetic biology and molecular breeding methods will also bring more precise regulation possibilities. Whether using MAS for assisted breeding or using tools such as CRISPR to address key regulatory points, the goal is the same-to cultivate new varieties with good aroma and stable performance. This will not only increase the added value of the product, but also drive the entire tea industry to develop more green and efficient. Acknowledgments The authors are particularly grateful to the two anonymous peer reviewers for their thorough evaluation of the manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Reference Chai K., Chen S., Wang P., Kong W., Ma X., and Zhang X., 2023, Multiomics analysis reveals the genetic basis of volatile terpenoid formation in oolong tea, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 71(49): 19888-19899. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c06762
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