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The role of <i>acdS</i>, which encodes the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase enzyme, in extending flower longevity and improving tolerance to cadmium (Cd) stress was assessed using transgenic <i>Petunia hybrida</i> cv. ‘Mirage Rose’ overexpressing <i>acdS</i> and wild-type (WT) plants. The overexpression of <i>acdS</i> reduced ethylene production in floral tissue via suppression of ethylene-related genes and improved flower longevity, approximately 2 to 4 days longer than WT flowers. Under Cd stress, <i>acdS</i> significantly reduced Cd-induced ethylene production in vegetable tissues of transgenic plants through suppression of ethylene-related genes. This resulted in a lower accumulation of ethylene-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the transgenic plants than in WT plants. In addition, expression of the genes involved in the activities of antioxidant and proline synthesis as well as the metal chelation process was also higher in the former than in the latter. Moreover, Cd accumulation was significantly higher in WT plants than in the transgenic plants. These results are linked to the greater tolerance of transgenic plants to Cd stress than the WT plants, which was determined based on plant growth and physiological performance. These results highlight the potential applicability of using <i>acdS</i> to extend flower longevity of ornamental bedding plants and also reveal the mechanism by which <i>acdS</i> improves Cd-stress tolerance. We suggest that <i>acdS</i> overexpression in plants can extend flower longevity and also help reduce the negative impact of Cd-induced ethylene on plant growth when the plants are unavoidably cultivated in Cd-contaminated soil.