Climacteric and non-climacteric behavior in melon fruit

Abstract

A near-isogenic line (NIL) SC3-5 and other nine NILs of melon contained introgressions of an exotic non-climacteric accession of Cucumis melo ´Shongwan Charmi´ [SC (PI 161375), Conomon Group)] into the non-climacteric Spanish Inodorus type of melon cultivar Piel de Sapo (PS). The NILs exhibited different climacteric behavior and aroma.Fruit from SC3-5 and seven NILs showed a climacteric pattern, while fruit from one NIL, both parentals and the cultivar Nicolás, were non-climacteric. The NILs were compared with the reference aromatic cultivars Fado and Védrantais, which show climacteric behavior with high levels of respiration and ethylene production. The twenty-eight aromatic compounds common to the cultivars and NILs studied defined the aroma profile, which was composed of fifteen esters, six aldehydes, two alcohols, three derived sulfur compounds (methyldisulfanylmethane; methanethiolate; methyl 2-sulfanylacetate) and other three compounds (1,7,7-trimethylnorbornan-2-one; acetone; 2-ethylfuran). On the basis of the total ion count peak area, three compounds (isobutyl acetate; benzyl acetate; pentanal) allowed the climacteric to be distinguished from the non-climacteric NILs according to univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis of the aroma data on the basis of total ion count peak area separated the aromatic attributes of the climacteric ´Védrantais´ and ´Fado´ melons from the NILs that were closer to their inbred parentals when analyzed by partial least squares regression plus discriminant analysis. In the climacteric reference cultivars or NILs, esters were the predominant volatiles while aldehydes predominated in non-climacteric ones. These results support the hypothesis that at least one QTL in linkage group III boosts a series of maturation signals that are characteristic of climacteric fruit, including a different aroma profile.

A fruit firmness QTL identified on linkage group 4 in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is associated with domesticated and bred germplasm

“…Moreover, recent studies seem to indicate that the classification of fruits as either climacteric or non-climacteric is an oversimplification 44 . Some fruits, like melons, can display both climacteric and non-climacteric behaviors 47 while kiwi fruit can display non-climacteric behaviors in the first stage of ripening and climacteric behaviors and in the second stage of ripening 48 . The fruit softening process involves the physiological modification of the cell wall and during the ripening phase of the fruit, plant hormones play important roles in this process 49 .…”

Primary Metabolism in Fresh Fruits During Storage

“…However, a strict distinction between climacteric and nonclimacteric fruits is less clear than originally thought (Paul et al, 2012). Fruit types that have both ripening patterns include melon and plums (Abdi et al, 1997;Fernandez-Trujillo et al, 2008;Farcuh et al, 2019). It has long been thought that the ripening of climacteric fruits is regulated by ethylene while that of nonclimacteric fruits is regulated by abscisic acid (ABA) (Jia et al, 2011;Jia et al, 2013).…”

Recent Advances in Hormonal Regulation and Cross-Talk during Non-Climacteric Fruit Development and Ripening

“…Despite the above, the classification of fruits as either climacteric or non-climacteric is not obvious, because some fruits, like melons (Cucumis spp. ), can display both climacteric and non-climacteric behaviors [23]. Furthermore, there are climacteric and suppressed-climacteric plum varieties, whose ability to respond to ethylene could be affected [24].…”