Postharvest physiology
Moazameh Shahabi; Somayeh Rastegar
Abstract
Introduction Narcissus (Narcissus tazetta) has high demand in flora markets due to its beauty, having a multi-floret flowerhead and delicate fragrance. The appearance quality and vase life of cut flowers decreased after harvest due to flower senescence, loss of petals turgor, reduced water absorption, ...
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Introduction Narcissus (Narcissus tazetta) has high demand in flora markets due to its beauty, having a multi-floret flowerhead and delicate fragrance. The appearance quality and vase life of cut flowers decreased after harvest due to flower senescence, loss of petals turgor, reduced water absorption, transpiration, fresh weight loss, and reduced water potential which reduces the economic and ornamental value of flowers at the consumer. One of the important reasons for the poor postharvest quality of Narcissus tazetta is the loss of turgor and their high sensitivity to browning of the petals. Browning mechanisms are chemically divided into enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning reactions. Enzymatic browning, which causes important reactions and discoloration, is one of the important factors affecting the quality and shelf life of fresh produce. Previous studies have shown that the activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) is positively correlated with browning during the postharvest storage of fruits and vegetables. Nitric oxide (NO) is recognized as a biological messenger in plants. It is a highly reactive gaseous free radical. Optimum NO levels could delay the climacteric phase of many tropical fruits and prolong the post-harvest shelf life of a wide range of horticultural crops by preventing ripening and senescence. Nitric oxide also could prevent the activity of PPO, phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) and POD, and keep the highest activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD).Materials and MethodsNarcissus (Narcissus tazetta L. cv. Shahla e-Shiraz) cut flowers at their commercial maturity stage (Goose-neck) were harvested from a production field in Farse province and. then they were transported to the laboratory. Healthy and uniform cut flowers with the same number of buds, a similar size and growth status were selected. Cut flowers were subjected to pulsed treatment of sodium nitroprusside for 24 hours on two levels (25 and 50 μM) and then kept in containers. Samples were stored at 20 ± 2 °C, relative humidity of 70-60%, with light cycle of 12 hours light and 12 hours dark. In this experiment, various physiological and biochemical indices including apparent quality (wilting index), cell membrane stability index (%), petal relative water content (%), color index and browning using a colorimeter, relative weight using digital scale (g), flower diameter, PPO and POD were examined. Results and DiscussionSodium nitroprusside treatment reduced the browning process by reducing the activity of POD and PPO enzymes. The effect of sodium nitroprusside was concentration-dependent. Sodium nitroprusside maintains membrane stability by protecting the membrane and preventing lipoxygenase activity and scavenging free radicals that have attacked the membrane. Sodium nitroprusside-maintained flower diameter due to its role in eliminating free radicals, delaying the aging process and maintaining flower quality. Discoloration and browning reactions of cut flowers reduce their appearance quality, leading to economic loss. The browning of the petals due to senescence is one of the important factors limiting the vase life of narcissus. It has been shown that PPO and POD are the key enzymes for the oxidation of the phenolic substrate (especially simple phenols) and the production of the brown compounds. It has also been suggested that the stability index of the cell membrane, which represents the ion leakage of the tissues, is diminished extremely as the longevity is increased. Another effective factor in determining the quality and vase life of cut flowers is the water-holding ability and water balance of the cut flowers petals. Changes in the cut flower fresh weight could also be regarded as one of the most important postharvest physiological disorders that affected the quality, vase life and commercial value of the cut flowers. Fresh weight loss, which is one of the most important reasons for the wilting of the flowers, is due to the less water uptake and more respiration rate.Conclusion Sodium nitroprusside treatment maintained the quality of Narcissus tazetta L. cv. Shahla e-Shiraz by increasing the relative water content of the petals and maintaining the cell stability index, as well as reducing the activity of browning enzymes (PPO and POD).Of course, the concentration used was very important.The best results were observed at lower concentrations (25 μM) of sodium nitroprusside.
Ornamental plants
Mohadeseh Piri; Zohreh Jabbarzadeh
Abstract
Introduction Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) from Gentianaceae family is from wild flowers of north and west America. Lisianthus, a relatively new floral crop to the international market, quickly ranked in the top ten cut flowers worldwide due to its rose-like and blue flowers. It is also widely ...
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Introduction Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) from Gentianaceae family is from wild flowers of north and west America. Lisianthus, a relatively new floral crop to the international market, quickly ranked in the top ten cut flowers worldwide due to its rose-like and blue flowers. It is also widely used as a flowering potted and bedding plant. Lisianthus ‘Mariachi Blue’ is cultivated as a cut flower. Salicylates have very beneficial effects on plant growth and development. The effect of phenolic compounds in many biochemical and physiological processes including photosynthesis, ion adsorption, membrane permeability, enzyme activity, flowering, stimulation of plant resistance systems, heat production and plant development has been proven. The most famous member of this group is salicylic acid, which as a simple phenolic compound, is naturally produced by plants. Salicylic acid (SA) is considered to be plant signal molecule that plays a key role in plant growth, development, and defense responses. Polyamines (PAs) are ubiquitous and biogenic amines that have been implicated in cellular functions in living organisms. In plants they have been implicated in a wide range of biological processes including cell division, cell elongation, senescence, embryogenesis, root formation, floral initiation and development, fruit development and ripening, pollen tube growth and plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress. Sodium nitroprusside is a nitric oxide releasing agent. Nitric oxide is a gaseous free radical that can disperse very rapidly through cell membranes due to its gaseous nature and medium shelf life, without a carrier. Nitric oxide (NO) is an unstable environmentally-friendly gas radical that is used to protect the postharvest longevity of different horticultural crops. In addition to controlling harvested crop senescence, NO is involved in many plant processes, e.g., germination, growth and development, photosynthesis, pigment synthesis, defensive system, and many others. In the present study, we investigated the effects of foliar application of salicylic acid, spermidine and sodium nitroprusside on some morpho-physiological characteristics and vase life of lisianthus flowers ‘Mariachi Blue’.Materials and Methods This study was conducted based on a completely randomized design with 10 treatments, 4 replications which each replication containing 2 pots. The treatments were included spermidine at concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 2 mM, salicylic acid at concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mM, sodium nitroprusside at concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 μM and control (without any application of growth regulators) as foliar application at intervals of 15 days for 2 months. Plant characteristics including leaf area, stem length, fresh and dry weight of leaves and flower, number of buds, flowers’ length and diameter, photosynthetic pigments and vase life were assayed. To perform analysis of variance and compare the mean of the studied traits, SAS software version 9.1 was used. The means were compared using the Tukey multi-domain method at a probability level of 1%. Also, Excel (2016) software was used to draw the chart. Results and Discussion The results obtained from analysis of variance in this study showed that the effect of growth regulators used in the study was significant at the level of 1% probability on all morphological traits measured, photosynthetic pigments and vase life of lisianthus flowers. Mean comparison graphs showed that salicylic acid, spermidine and sodium nitroprusside had a positive effect on some morphological traits, photosynthetic pigments and vase life compared to control. It can be concluded that, salicylic acid caused to increase all parameters except the flowers’ fresh weight compared to control. Spermidine increase stem length, leaf fresh weight, flowers’ fresh and dry weight, length, and diameter, chlorophyll index, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid and vase life of flowers. Also, sodium nitroprusside had beneficial effects on all parameters in this research except leaf area, leaf dry weight, chlorophyll a and vase life of flowers. Salicylic acid plays an important role in regulating some physiological processes of plants such as growth and development, ion uptake and transport, stomatal conductivity, and membrane permeability, which is effective in plant photosynthesis and with increasing photosynthesis, plant growth rate increases. Polyamines such as spermidine are involved in a wide range of developmental stages including cell division, embryogenesis, root growth, and flowering. Sodium nitroprusside is involved in the most important plant processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, growth and cell division. Probably, these growth regulators, due to their effect on plant growth, flowering, as well as photosynthetic pigments, have caused the increment of plant biomass and vase life.Conclusion In the present study, the effect of salicylic acid, spermidine and sodium nitroprusside on some growth and flowering characteristics, photosynthetic pigment and vase life of Eustoma grandiflorum ‘Mariachi Blue’ was assayed. According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that these growth regulators improved growth indices, flowering parameters, photosynthetic pigment and vase life of flowers. According to the results, the appropriate concentrations for salicylic acid were 1 mM, for spermidine, 1 mM and for sodium nitroprusside were also 50 and 100 μM.
Bahareh Ghorbani; Zahra Pakkish
Abstract
Introduction: Chilling injury (CI) is the primary postharvest problem of orange (Citrus sinensis L.) and many other horticultural crops during storage. Washington Navel orange fruits are susceptible to CI during storage below 5°C, and the main CI symptoms are surface pitting, browning, discoloration ...
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Introduction: Chilling injury (CI) is the primary postharvest problem of orange (Citrus sinensis L.) and many other horticultural crops during storage. Washington Navel orange fruits are susceptible to CI during storage below 5°C, and the main CI symptoms are surface pitting, browning, discoloration and decay. Several promising methods have been developed to alleviate CI symptoms of orange fruit. These include postharvest physical treatments with UV-C, modified atmosphere packaging, temperature conditioning, and chemical treatments with plant growth regulators. Oxidative stress from excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been associated with appearance of chilling damage in fruits. The oxidation of ROS is due to their reaction with numerous cell components coursing a cascade of oxidative reactions and consequent inactivation of enzymes, lipid peroxidation, protein degradation, and DNA damage. Aerobic organisms have evolved well-developed defense systems to establish a fine-tuned balance between ROS production and removal plants are protected against ROS effects by a complex antioxidant system. This involved both lipid soluble antioxidant (α- tocopherol and carotenoids) and water soluble reductants (glutathion and ascorbate) and enzymes, such as catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD). Previous studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between the antioxidant enzymes activity and the chilling tolerance in harvested fruits. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule involved in many plant physiological processes. It has also been indicated that NO protects plant cells against oxidative stress by reducing ROS accumulation. When exogenously applied, NO has been shown to result in an improved chilling tolerance and reduced incidence of chilling injury in several fruits. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of NO on chilling injury, lipid peroxidation content, peroxide hydrogen content, and the induction of antioxidant enzymes in Washington Navel orange (Citrus sinensis L.) fruit during storage at 5±1°C.
Materials and Methods: Washington Navel orange (Citrus sinensis L.) fruits were harvested at commercial maturity from a commercial orchard in Kerman, Iran, and transported to the laboratory on the same day. Orange fruits were treated with 0.25 and 0.5 mM nitric oxide for 5 min and then stored at 5±1°C and relative humidity of 85-90 % for 5 months. No nitric oxide use was considered as control. The experiment was arranged in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. Characteristics such as chilling injury, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, ascorbic acid, and activity of antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) were evaluated in the present experiment.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that use of nitric oxide in fruits reduced significantly chilling injury, ion leakage, lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide compared to control, though it increased activity of antioxidant enzymes. According to these results, unlike organic acids which decreased in treated and non-treated fruits, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid and pH of the fruits increased during storage, however, nitric oxide treatment reduced the rate of changes, be either reducing or increasing, in the mentioned parameters compared to control. So, fruits treated with 0.5 mMol nitric oxide showed the highest effect on the reduction of chilling injury.
In the present study, the results indicated that NO significantly reduced CI of orange fruits during storage at 5±1 °C. NO has been applied to reduce the development of chilling injury symptoms in a number of horticultural crops. Thus NO has the potential of application in postharvest treatment by alleviating chilling injury and maintaining quality, and the aim of this study was to determine how NO alleviates the anti-oxidative systems, probably one of the mechanisms of improved chilling tolerance, of orange fruit during chilling stress. This indicates that the chilling tolerance of orange fruit was also enhanced by postharvest treatment with NO. Lipid peroxidation and protective enzyme systems are often evaluated in studies of plant mechanisms under various stresses. Low temperature disrupts the balance of active oxygen species metabolism, leading to their accumulation and destruction of scavenging enzymes such as catalase and peroxidase. In the present study, exogenous per-treatment with nitric oxide at 0.25 and 0.5 mM significantly decreased the lipid peroxidation content and electrolyte leakage of cold stored orange fruit compared to untreated fruits. The level of H2O2 was maintained by NO treatment, which led to an increase in chilling tolerance. It has been reported that the improvement of chilling tolerance in harvested horticultural crops is related to the enhancement in activates of antioxidant enzyme. Researchers found that chilling-tolerant mandarins have a higher antioxidant enzyme activity than the chilling-sensitive ones. A number of postharvest treatments that induce chilling tolerance and alleviate chilling injury also enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper reporting the beneficial effects of NO on CI of postharvest orange fruits. In this study, there was a continuous increase in peel and pulp lipid peroxidation content in all fruits, but the application of NO significantly delayed the increase of lipid peroxidation. Moreover, the change in membrane permeability (revealed by H2O2 content) showed trends similar to lipid peroxidation content; in other words, peel and pulp H2O2 content increased with storage duration, but NO markedly delayed the increase. NO has been considered to be involved in a network of interacting signal transduction pathways, which regulate defense responses to abiotic stress. The detoxification of ROS is dependent on antioxidant enzymes such as CAT and POD. The increase in these enzymes’ activity contributes to the adaptation of plants to cold stress and ameliorates oxidative damage such as lipid peroxidation (lipid peroxidation increase as indicator) and H2O2 content.
Conclusion: In conclusion, application of NO reduced CI of oranges stored at 5±1°C and maintained oranges quality as well. The chilling injury, lipid peroxidation, and peroxide hydrogen were significantly reduced by NO treatment especially at 0.5 mM. Induced cold resistance by NO treatment may be due to the stimulation of antioxidant enzymes, and protection against membrane oxidative damage, decreased lipid peroxidation and H2O2 content in orange fruits. These results may have implications for the use of NO in managing postharvest CI of other subtropical fruits stored at low temperatures.
