Review
Impact of salicylic acid on post-harvest physiology of horticultural crops

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2010.07.009Get rights and content

Salicylic acid (SA), an endogenous plant growth regulator, has been found to generate a wide range of metabolic and physiological responses in plants thereby affecting their growth and development. SA as a natural and safe phenolic compound exhibits a high potential in controlling post-harvest losses of horticultural crops. In the present review, we have focused on various intrinsic biosynthetic pathways and effects of exogenous salicylic acid on post-harvest decay and disease resistance, oxidative stress, fruit ripening, ethylene biosynthesis and action, fruit firmness, respiration, antioxidant systems and nutritional quality have also been discussed.

Introduction

Salicylic acid (SA) and methyl salicylate (MeSA) are endogenous signal molecules, playing pivotal roles in regulating stress responses and plant developmental processes including heat production or thermogenesis, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, ion uptake and transport, disease resistance, seed germination, sex polarization, crop yield and glycolysis (Klessig & Malamy, 1994). Recently, SA has received a particular attention because it is a key signal molecule for expression of multiple modes of plant stress resistance. Although the focus has been mainly on the roles of SA on biotic stresses, several studies also support major roles of salicylates in modulation of the plant response to several abiotic stresses, such as UV light, drought, salinity, chilling stress and heat shock (Ding and Wang, 2003, Ding et al., 2001). Salicylates delay the ripening of fruits, probably through inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis or action, and maintain post-harvest quality (Srivastava & Dwivedi, 2000). Some of the results reported by several authors regarding the effects of SA on quality aspects of different harvested horticultural crops have been summarized in Table 1.

Section snippets

Postharvest decay control in horticultural crops

Plants continuously remain exposed to the challenging threats of a variety of pathogenic attacks. For many years synthetic fungicides were used to control post-harvest decay but, the public concerns about fungicide residues in fresh horticultural crops and the harmful effects of chemicals on human health and environment have recently caused scientists to search for new alternatives to chemical fungicides (Babalar, Asghari, Talaei, & Khosroshahi, 2007). Recent studies have shown that SA can be

SA prevents post-harvest oxidative stress and alleviates chilling injury during cold storage

Plant defense system against oxidative stress consists of two lines; The first line of defense is termed ROS avoidance genes includes alternative oxidase (AOX) and the second is termed as ROS scavenging genes includes SOD, CAT, the ascorbate/glutathione cycle, the glutathione peroxidase system and thioredoxin system (Fig. 2) (Buchanan, Gruissem, & Jones, 2000, p 1343). SA has been shown to induce expression of AOX and increase the antioxidant capacity of the cells (Table 1, Fig. 2). For

Impact of SA on fruit softening

Fruit ripening and senescence are accompanied by changes in several quality aspects such as softening, decrease in total acidity and increase in sugar contents, color development, aroma production and etc. (Wills, McGlasson, Graham, & Joyce, 1998). Softening of fruits is a main and critical quality change. MeSA, in a concentration dependent manner from 0 to 32 μl L−1, maintained firmness of kiwifruit during storage (Aghdam et al., 2009). Srivastava and Dwivedi (2000) reported that in

Conclusion

SA, as a natural and safe phenolic compound, exhibits a high potential in controlling post-harvest losses of horticultural crops. Decrease in ethylene production and action, induction of disease resistance, prevention of oxidative stresses, induction of crop tolerance to chilling injury, decrease in respiration rate, decrease in ripening and senescence rate, prevention of cell wall degrading enzymes and maintaining crop firmness are of main results obtained following SA treatment. The

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