Uncovering reasons for differential accumulation of linalool in tea cultivars with different leaf area

•A significant correlation occurred between linalool and tea leaf area.•There was no significant relation between linalool synthesis and leaf area in tea.•Metabolism of linalool affected differential accumulation of linalool in tea.•The larger tea leaves were less capable of conversion of linalool to linalool oxides. It is generally proposed that tea cultivars with larger leaves contain more linalool, an important tea aroma contributor, than ones with smaller leaves. The objective of this study was to confirm the trait and explore the involved reason. Investigation on ten tea cultivars with different leaf areas demonstrated a significant positive correlation between linalool content and leaf area (R2 = 0.739, p = 0.010). Analysis of metabolite and gene expression level showed that the transform ability of linalool into linalool oxides was the key factor. Feeding experiments that supplied tea leaves of different leaf areas with [2H3]linalool under different light conditions revealed that the larger tea leaves receive more light and are less capable of transformation of linalool to linalool oxides, thus leading to linalool accumulation. This information will advance understanding of the variation of linalool content in tea varieties and will provide assistance in breeding and screening of high-linalool tea cultivars.