## 1 Introduction  
As the most abundant class of secondary metabolites in plants, terpenoids play an important role in plant growth and development, environmental adaptation, and fruit quality attributes. As a globally popular berry crop, strawberries (_Fragaria ananassa_ (Weston) Duch.) are well-recognized for their distinctive flavor and nutritional benefits. In the French strawberry cultivar Falandi, nine sesquiterpenes and three triterpenes have been identified. Terpenes are important components of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although they constitute only 0.001-0.01% of strawberry weight, these compounds are essential to the fruit's favorable flavor, with small changes greatly impacting taste [1]. Strawberry fruits produce a favorable aroma, with terpenoids significantly contributing to their aroma profile. Key terpenoids in strawberries include linalool, nerol, menthol, \(\alpha\)-pinene, \(\beta\)-myrcene, \(\alpha\)-terpineol, and \(\beta\)-phellandrene, which vary across varieties and developmental stages [2]. Among them, linalool and nerol are two major aroma components in strawberries; however, their contents differ significantly between wild (_Fragaria_\(\times\)_vesca_) and cultivated strawberries (_Fragaria_\(\times\)_ananassa_). The terpenoid synthase gene _FaNES1_, which is highly expressed in cultivated strawberries, catalyzes the conversion of geranyl diphosphate (GPP) and farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) into linalool and nerol [3]. A study by [PERSON] et al. [4] identified grape flavor genes and their regulatory elements using multimomics. This research implies that the distal region of strawberry Chromosome 3C may be related to the production of multiple terpenes, with _FaNESI_ significantly correlated with the biosynthesis of linalool, \(\beta\)-myrcene, \(\alpha\)-pinene, (E)-\(\beta\)-farmesene, and nerol. Studies on the disease resistance mechanisms in strawberries suggest terpenes as one of the three crucial metabolites involved in strawberry defense [5]. [PERSON] et al. [6] demonstrated that UV-C exposure induces monoterpene production in strawberry leaves, which interacts with abscisic acid (ABA) to enhance pathogen resistance. Additionally, terpinen-4-ol improves resistance against _Botrytis cinerea_ and soft rot by activating the phenylpropanol metabolic pathway in strawberry fruits [7]. Triterpene accumulation has also been linked to differential resistance across strawberry varieties exposed to nanoplastics [8]. Moreover, rapid induction of terpenoid synthesis may enhance anthracose resistance in certain wild strawberry species [9]. Terpenoids are primarily synthesized in plants through two pathways: the mevalonate (MVA) pathway in the cytoplasm and the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway in the plastids [10]. In the MVA pathway, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR) is the first rate-limiting enzyme and acts as a central regulator in the biosynthesis of cytoplasmic terpenoids [11]. Studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between HMGR activity and the production of diverse terpenoids across virtually all plant species [12; 13; 14; 15]. Upregulation of HMGR and TPS genes has been shown to enhance terpene levels in roses [16]. Terpenoids influenced by HMGR include beneficial compounds such as sterols, rubber, resin, and saponins [17; 18; 19; 20], which improve plant adaptability to adverse environmental conditions [21; 22]. HMGR also directly affects the synthesis of sesquiterpene and triterpene aromas and accelerates the accumulation of tetraterpenoid carotenoids in _Escherichia coli_ (_E. coli_). [23; 24; 25]. In addition, HMGR also participates in the regulation of anthocyanin accumulation in plants by affecting hormone accumulation and signal transduction. Downregulation of the HMGR gene can positively induce the expression of a variety of hormones and affect the accumulation of anthocyanins [19; 24; 26].