Horticultural produce is impacted by a range of abiotic stresses during storage and marketing that accelerate ripening and senescence and thus reduce shelf life. Exogenous application of nitric oxide (NO) by gas fumigation or dipping in a solution of NO-donor compound has been demonstrated to alleviate some of the effects of abiotic stress on a wide range of produce. A key reported beneficial effect of NO treatment is to reduce the production of ethylene. Other reported beneficial effects of NO treatment include a reduced rate of respiration and reduced ion leakage resulting from better maintenance of cellular integrity; reduction in oxidative stress through reduced lipid oxidation and enhanced activity of a range of antioxidant enzymes which have been implicated in defence mechanisms; inhibition of polyphenol oxidase activity associated with reduced internal and surface browning; and alleviation of chilling injury potentially through enhancing the natural antioxidant defence systems which could include endogenous NO. Postharvest application of NO is a potential new technology to reduce losses of horticultural produce during handling and marketing.
History
Source title
Nitric Oxide Action in Abiotic Stress Responses in Plants
Pagination
221-238
Editors
Nasir Khan, M., et. al
Publisher
Springer
Place published
Heidelberg, Germany
Language
en, English
College/Research Centre
Faculty of Science
School
School of Environmental and Life Sciences
Rights statement
The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-17804-2_14