Virus-Induced Gene Silencing in Rose Flowers

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a favorable method to study gene function by posttranscriptional gene silencing in plants. Here we describe a methodology of graft-accelerated VIGS in rose aimed at obtaining posttranscriptional gene silencing in the flower. The resulting phenotype can be observed within 5–6 weeks post infiltration. By using this method, we successfully silenced the expression of several genes involved in processes such as scent production, petal coloration, or flower architecture. We showed that graft-accelerated VIGS was faster, more efficient, and more convenient than conventional methods previously developed in rose such as agroinfiltration of young plantlets and in vitro cultured tissues or seeds.