Effect of Methyl Jasmonate on Ethylene and Volatile Production by Summerred Apples Depends on Fruit Developmental Stage

Abstract

Pre- and postclimacteric Summerred apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) were exposed for 12 h to a low concentration of atmospheric methyl jasmonate. Ethylene and volatile production were measured at harvest and through 15 days at 20 °C after treatment. Responses to methyl jasmonate treatment depended on the stage of fruit development. Methyl jasmonate stimulated ethylene, ester, alcohol, and acetic acid production in preclimacteric fruits, while little or no response was elicited from postclimacteric fruits. Ketone and aldehyde emissions were not affected by methyl jasmonate regardless of developmental stage. Keywords: Apple fruit; ripening; volatiles; methyl jasmonate

The Jasmonate-Activated Transcription Factor MdMYC2 Regulates ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR and Ethylene Biosynthetic Genes to Promote Ethylene Biosynthesis during Apple Fruit Ripening

“…JA has been implicated in promoting ethylene production in several species, including apple (Saniewski and Czapski, 1985;Saniewski et al, 1987;Fan et al, 1997;Kondo et al, 2009;Khan and Singh, 2015;Lalel et al, 2015). For example, JA treatment markedly increases the expression of MdACS1 and MdACO1, as well as ethylene production, in apple fruit during ripening (Fan et al, 1997(Fan et al, , 1998Kondo et al, 2009).…”

“…For example, JA treatment markedly increases the expression of MdACS1 and MdACO1, as well as ethylene production, in apple fruit during ripening (Fan et al, 1997(Fan et al, , 1998Kondo et al, 2009). However, the molecular mechanism by which JA promotes ethylene production and the expression of ethylene biosynthetic genes during fruit ripening have been unclear.…”

“…Although JA-promoted ethylene production has been reported in various fruit species (Saniewski and Czapski, 1985;Saniewski et al, 1987;Fan et al, 1997Fan et al, , 1998Kondo et al, 2009;Khan and Singh, 2015;Lalel et al, 2015), most of these studies only focused on the changes in ACS or ACO expression and ethylene production. In contrast, our work links JA and ethylene biosynthesis by shedding light on the regulation of MdERFs, MdACS1, and MdACO1 by MdMYC2.…”

“…Many studies involving various species have been performed to elucidate the role of JA in fruit ripening (Saniewski et al, 1987;Fan et al, 1997;Kondo et al, 2009;Concha et al, 2013;Khan and Singh, 2015). For example, Kondo et al (2000) reported that endogenous JA levels increase in apple fruit during maturation.…”

“…For example, Kondo et al (2000) reported that endogenous JA levels increase in apple fruit during maturation. Additionally, the application of JA to fruits results in increased ethylene production in tomato (Saniewski and Czapski, 1985;Saniewski et al, 1987), apple (Fan et al, 1997;Fan et al, 1998;Kondo et al, 2009), plum (Prunus salicina) (Khan and Singh, 2015), and mango (Mangifera indica) (Lalel et al, 2015). However, little is known about the mechanism by which JA promotes ethylene production, such as enhancing the expression of ethylene signaling genes (Saniewski et al, 1987;Fan et al, 1998;Kondo et al, 2009;Khan and Singh, 2015), thereby promoting the expression of ethylene biosynthetic genes and ethylene production during fruit ripening.…”