ISHS Acta Horticulturae 553: IV International Conference on Postharvest Science
APPLICATIONS OF NITRIC OXIDE (NO) FOR POSTHARVEST CONTROL |
| Authors: | Y.Y. Leshem, R. Wills, V. Ku |
| Keywords: | fumigation; fruit, vegetable and flower longevity; shelf life |
| Abstract:
Endogenously-produced nitric oxide (NO) gas appears to be a natural plant growth regulator in a wide variety of both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, flowers, vegetables and legume sprout species. Monitoring of vegetative and generative plant organs reveal that temporal progress of maturation and senescence goes hand in hand with a significant decrease of NO emission. Conversely, exogenous application of the gas either by direct fumigation in an O2-free atmosphere or by means of NO-releasing chemicals, markedly delays senescence and maturation of freshly cut or picked produce. Regarded together, experimental data lend support to the possible role of an endogenous concentration-related content of NO as a senescence-delaying plant growth regulator acting primarily, but not solely, by limiting ethylene emission. Control of cyclic nucleotide levels, as in the case of Viagra, may be a further facet of NO involvement in postharvest processes. | |
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