Predicting chilling requirement of peach floral buds using electronic nose

•Volatile compounds’ content of floral buds in dormancy and release process were changed tested by E-nose. Broad-methane, sulphur-organic compound and methane-aliph could be used as the metabolic markers for different stages of dormancy and release.•PCA and LDA analysis of the volatile compounds content indicated that the different stages of dormancy and release process in peach could be clearly distinguished.•PLSR quantitative model was established based on the R value (the actual accumulated chilling hours during any period of the dormancy and release process to the chilling requirement) and volatile compounds content.•This was the first time that E-nose detection and PLSR quantitative analysis model were combined to be used in the estimation of chilling requirements and had achieved efficient and convenient evaluation.