Anthocyanin in mango fruit peel is associated with cold and pathogen resistance

S.P. Kumar, O. Feygenberg, D. Maurer, S. Diskin, D. Saada, Y. Cohen, S. Luria, N. Alkan
Mango fruit of 83 cultivars from all over the world and selected breeding lines were tested for biotic (anthracnose) tolerance and abiotic (chilling) stresses. Fruit were inoculated with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides or stored for two weeks at sub-optimal temperature. Red cultivars that accumulate high amount of anthocyanin were overall more resistant to both biotic and abiotic stresses. In order to validate that anthocyanin and red mango fruit peel color are correlated to biotic and abiotic tolerance, red and green 'Shelly' mango fruit from the same trees were evaluated. Measurements of the red mango peel showed a significant increase in total anthocyanin, and antioxidant activity, while the ripening parameters of both red and green mango fruit were similar. After three weeks of postharvest cold-storage in suboptimal temperature the 'green fruit' developed significantly more chilling injury symptoms than the 'red fruit'. Thus, red mango fruit that accumulate high amount of anthocyanin was more resistant to both chilling and pathogens. The results point to new agro-technological approaches to extend shelf-life and quality of mango fruit.
Kumar, S.P., Feygenberg, O., Maurer, D., Diskin, S., Saada, D., Cohen, Y., Luria, S. and Alkan, N. (2021). Anthocyanin in mango fruit peel is associated with cold and pathogen resistance. Acta Hortic. 1323, 19-24
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1323.4
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1323.4
anthracnose, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, chilling, antioxidant activity, storage
English

Acta Horticulturae