Effects of 1-methylcyclopropene on disease resistance of red-fleshed kiwifruit during long-term cold storage and the possible mechanisms

ABSTRACT

‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit is a red-fleshed variety that contains high amounts of nutrients and has a good taste. It is particularly prone to postharvest decay, however, especially at late stages, even under cold storage. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on disease resistance in ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit, and the mechanisms involved in ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit during long-term cold storage (4 months). The results demonstrated that 1-MCP (0.8 µL/L) effectively reduced fruit decay, which was mainly caused by Phomopsis sp., improved the antioxidant capacity of the fruit by increasing superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, and elevated phenolic compound contents and defence-related enzyme activity. Treatment with 1-MCP also reduced polygalacturonase activity and maintained higher fruit firmness during storage. Collectively these results indicate that 1-MCP treatment maintained the postharvest quality of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit, increased antioxidant activity, and reduced the incidence of Phomopsis sp. decay during the late stage of storage.

KEYWORDS:

• 1-methylcyclopropene
• antioxidant capacity
• disease resistance
• ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit
• phenolic compound
• quality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Key R&D Program of China from Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (2018YFD0401303), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31722043; 31930086), and Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y201919).