Cut astilbe (Astilbe × arendsii) inflorescences have many small florets with low ethylene sensitivity, and a short vase life. The senescence of flowers is complex and probably regulated by programmed cell death, but specific senescence-related genes have not been widely studied, apart from ethylene-sensitive species. In this study, we investigated the effects of continuous treatments with 4% sucrose (Suc), 2% trehalose (Tre), and a combination (Suc+Tre) on postharvest quality and senescence-related gene expression in cut flowers of the astilbe ‘Gloria Purpurea’. Vase life was extended from 3.7 days to 10.3, 9.4, and 12.4 days by treatment with Suc, Tre and Suc+Tre, respectively. Florets were sampled at 0 days (0 d) and 2 days after harvest (2 d). De novo RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) of floret tissues produced 89,705 unique sequences, and 2,517, 979, 609, and 1,846 differentially expressed genes were identified from the 0d_Control (Cont) vs. 2d_Cont, 2d_Cont vs. 2d_Suc, 2d_Cont vs. 2d_Tre, and 2d_Cont vs. 2d_Suc+Tre libraries, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that expression of many photosynthesis-related genes was upregulated in 2d_Cont florets, suggesting the photosynthesis system is activated in senescing florets. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that WRKY22, related to leaf senescence, was more highly upregulated in 2d_Cont compared with 0d_Cont, 2d_Suc, and 2d_Tre in the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Using Fragments Per Kilobase per Million reads (FPKM) values from RNA-seq, candidate genes associated with senescence including the no apical meristem, ATAF1/2 and cup-shaped cotyledon transcription factor 29 (NAC029), senescence-associated gene 12 (SAG12), and peroxidase 21 (PER21) were selected. Suc+Tre in particular, the most effective treatment for prolonging vase life, downregulated NAC029, SAG12, and PER21 expression at 2 d. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) validated the RNA-seq results, i.e., similar expression trends were found in the three genes, although relatively weak expression levels were detected compared with FPKM values from RNA-seq. The effect of Tre alone on the three genes’ expression levels was relatively small compared with treatments containing Suc, suggesting that Tre may delay floret senescence by altering genes involved in water transport such as Aquaporin tonoplast intrinsic protein 1-3. This study revealed several candidate genes and GO terms involved in the senescence of cut florets, but further study is needed, especially on key genes including NAC029 and WRKY22.

切落新妇（落新妇× arendsii）花序具有许多小的小花具有低乙烯敏感性和短瓶插寿命。花的衰老很复杂，可能受程序性细胞死亡的调控，但是除乙烯敏感物种外，与衰老相关的特定基因尚未得到广泛研究。在这项研究中，我们调查了连续处理4％蔗糖（Suc），2％海藻糖（Tre）和组合（Suc + Tre）对甜菜切花采后品质和衰老相关基因表达的影响。 Gloria Purpurea'。通过分别用Suc，Tre和Suc + Tre处理，花瓶的寿命从3.7天延长到10.3、9.4和12.4天。在收获后0天（0 d）和收获后2天（2 d）对小花取样。从头开始小花组织的RNA测序（RNA-seq）产生89,705个独特序列，并从0d_Control（Cont）对2d_Cont，2d_Cont对2d_Suc，2d_Cont对2d_Tre，和2d_Cont与2d_Suc + Tre库。基因本体论（GO）分析表明，许多光合作用相关基因的表达在2d_Cont小花中被上调，表明光合作用系统在衰老的小花中被激活。京都基因与基因组百科全书分析显示WRKY22与叶衰老有关的蛋白在丝裂原激活的蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号通路中比0d_Cont，2d_Suc和2d_Tre更高。使用来自RNA-seq的每千碱基每百万片段读数（FPKM）值，与衰老相关的候选基因包括无顶端分生组织，ATAF1 / 2和杯状子叶转录因子29（NAC029），衰老相关基因12（SAG12） ，并选择过氧化物酶21（PER21）。特别是Suc + Tre，它是延长花瓶寿命的最有效方法，下调了NAC029，SAG12和PER21在2天时表情。逆转录定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）验证了RNA-seq结果，即在三个基因中发现了相似的表达趋势，尽管与来自RNA-seq的FPKM值相比检测到相对较弱的表达水平。与含Suc的处理相比，单独使用Tre对这三个基因的表达水平的影响相对较小，这表明Tre可能通过改变参与水运输的基因（例如Aquaporin液泡膜内在蛋白1-3）来延迟小花的衰老。这项研究揭示了一些切花的衰老中涉及的候选基因和GO术语，但还需要进一步研究，特别是对包括NAC029和WRKY22在内的关键基因。