Differential role of the two ζ-carotene desaturase paralogs in carrot (Daucus carota): ZDS1 is a functional gene essential for plant development and carotenoid synthesis.

Daucus carota is a biennale crop that develops an edible storage root. Orange carrots, the most consumed cultivar worldwide, accumulate high levels of β-carotene and α-carotene in the storage root during secondary growth. Genes involved in β-carotene synthesis have been identified in carrots and unlike most species, D.