Involvement of Ethylene Synthetic Inhibitors in Regulating the Senescence of Cut Carnations through Membrane Integrity Maintenance

Abstract

Postharvest senescence is a critical problem of carnation cut flowers, limiting their transportation and subsequent marketing chain. This study was designed to assess whether the application of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and nitric oxide (NO) released from donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) could prolong the vase life of cut carnations through an influence on the physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved in aging process. 1-MCP was used in the concentrations of 0, 100, 200, and 300 mg·m−3; AgNPs in the concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 150 mg·dm−3; and SNP in the concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mM. All treatments significantly extended the cut flower life compared with untreated flowers, more so with 300 mg·m−3 of 1-MCP, 100 mg·dm−3 of AgNPs, or 0.3 mM of SNP. All these chemical compounds were able to considerably improve the relative water content (RWC), reduce the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increase the membrane stability index (MSI) in petals and, therefore, maintain the membrane integrity. In addition, they decreased the activities of acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and, hence, depressed the production of ethylene in carnation cut flowers through downregulating the ethylene production, what prolonged the vase life. Altogether, the application of exogenous 1-MCP, AgNPs, or SNP may provide a promising avenue to improve the postharvest performance of carnation cut flowers.

The Efficacies of 1-Methylcyclopropene and Chitosan Nanoparticles in Preserving the Postharvest Quality of Damask Rose and Their Underlying Biochemical and Physiological Mechanisms

“…Furthermore, increasing the shelf life and keeping the fresh weight of damask rose flowers in response to 1-MCP treatment may be attributed to its role as an ethylene action inhibitor that irreversibly and competitively acts in blocking the ethylene receptor and, therefore, inhibits the flower senescence [ 13 ]. Extending the flower life through maintaining the fresh weight and RWC due to 1-MCP has been reported [ 21 , 22 ].…”

“…In this connection, 1-MCP effectively decreased ethylene production and markedly delayed petal senescence in dahlia flowers, suggesting the involvement of ethylene in flower senescence [ 21 ]. Additionally, 1-MCP application significantly decreased the activity of ACS and ACO, key enzymes in the ethylene production pathway and, therefore, extending the postharvest life through downregulating the ethylene production in orchids [ 75 ] and carnations [ 22 ]. Furthermore, inhibiting ethylene synthesis by 1-MCP treatment slows down senescence and retards the senescence-induced destructions of phenolics [ 16 ], which supports our results.…”

“…The reduction in MDA and preserving the membrane functions have been elucidated to be reversely proportional with the flower senescence [ 82 , 83 ]. The efficiency of the 1-MCP treatment in retarding the flower senescence via lipid peroxidation reduction has been reported in gladiolus [ 11 ] and carnations [ 22 ].…”

“…The gaseous and nontoxic nature of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) makes it one of the most potent ethylene perceptions, which blocks the ethylene action by irreversibly binding to the ethylene receptors [ 13 ]. As an environmentally friendly ethylene inhibitor, 1-MCP is widely used to delay senescence and preserve the postharvest quality of fruits [ 14 , 15 , 16 ], leafy vegetables [ 17 , 18 ], herbs [ 19 , 20 ] and cut flowers [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. In this context, 1-MCP delayed petal wilting and retarded abscission.…”

Cross-talk of NO and phytohormones in the regulation of plant development

“…It can be hypothesized the inhibitory effect of NO on ET biosynthesis in this process in the aforementioned ways. SNP treated cut roses exhibited decreased ACO activity and ET production (Liao et al, 2013) and cut carnivoles showed increased longevity in parallel with a decrease in ACS activity (Hassan et al, 2020). Furthermore, involvement of EIN2, which is a positive regulator of ET-induced senescence, in NO-induced early leaf senescence was also proved in Arabidopsis (Niu and Guo, 2012).…”