APPLICATIONS OF NITRIC OXIDE (NO) FOR POSTHARVEST CONTROL

Y.Y. Leshem, R. Wills, V. Ku
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.
Leshem, Y.Y., Wills, R. and Ku, V. (2001). APPLICATIONS OF NITRIC OXIDE (NO) FOR POSTHARVEST CONTROL. Acta Hortic. 553, 571-576
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.553.135
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.553.135
fumigation; fruit, vegetable and flower longevity; shelf life
English
553_135
571-576

Acta Horticulturae