'Raja Bulu' banana MaACS1 and MaACO1 gene expression during postharvest storage

Indonesia is one of world's biggest banana producers, however only a small portion of bananas are exported. Mechanical injuries during postharvest handling can increase respiration which leads to ethylene production. Ethylene accelerates fruit ripening process which leads to quality deterioration and waste of fruit. In order to maintain good quality environment condition, distribution process and storage condition need to be optimized. This study examined the effect of fungicide treatment and temperature during storage of banana ripening process, on the Indonesian native banana, LSQUORaja BuluRSQUO. Expression of banana ripening-related genes, MaACS1 and MaACO1, were analyzed. The results showed that the longest shelf-life was obtained on bananas stored at 20°C which were immersed in fungicide prior to storage. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis showed that there was a difference in the expression of ripening-related genes between control group and treated banana (stored at best storage condition).