Molecular Regulation Mechanism of Ripening, Senescence and Stress Resistance in Fruits and Vegetables

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2024) | Viewed by 5551

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Tree Research, Guangzhou 510640, China
Interests: plant cuticle and the environmental response; postharvest biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fruits and vegetables are two key daily food sources for human beings. The development and ripening of both fruits and vegetables involves various biological changes to textures, color, volatile organic compounds, and other bioactivity components. Nowadays, a significant increase in agricultural crops can be attributed to the development of scientific management strategies in the field, the breeding of crop varieties, as well as the pre- and postharvest technologies. However, many aspects of the physiological and molecular regulation mechanisms of these ripening, senescence and stress responses in fruits and vegetables are still unknown. In addition, the regulations may differ depending on the variety of species, cultivars and organs. To explore efficient approaches to improving nutrient content during development and maintaining high quality during storage are still big challenges for fruits and vegetables.

Hence, the goal of this Special Issue is to integrate knowledge on any aspect related to the physiological and molecular regulation mechanisms of fruits and vegetables from field preharvest to postharvest shelf life.

Dr. Hua Huang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fruits and vegetables
  • quality changes
  • physiological changes
  • molecular regulation
  • pre- and postharvest treatments

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5063 KiB  
Article
Identification and Characterization of the BnFAR1/FHY3 Gene Family and Expression Analysis under Shading and Low-Temperature Responses in Brassica napus L.
by Yuekun Han, Hefen Cheng, Yaolan Jiang, Xinwen Wang, Xiaolan Liu, Dawei Zhang, Jinfeng Wu, Lili Liu, Mingli Yan and Dinggang Zhou
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010202 - 17 Jan 2024
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Abstract
FHY3 and FAR1 serve as positive regulators of the phyA-mediated far-red light signal pathway, influencing plant growth and development by regulating the expression of downstream genes. However, little is known about the FAR1/FHY3 family in Brassica species. A total of 21 members of [...] Read more.
FHY3 and FAR1 serve as positive regulators of the phyA-mediated far-red light signal pathway, influencing plant growth and development by regulating the expression of downstream genes. However, little is known about the FAR1/FHY3 family in Brassica species. A total of 21 members of the BnFAR1/FHY3 gene family were identified in the Brassica napus genome, exhibiting an uneven distribution across ten B. napus chromosomes. A phylogenetic analysis showed that the BnFAR1/FHY3 family could be divided into four subfamilies. Putative cis-elements in the BnFAR1/FHY3 promoter regions were also identified, which were potentially involved in phytohormone, light and abiotic stress responses (shading, low-temperature, etc.). Additionally, qRT-PCR results indicated that the expression levels of BnFAR1-10, BnFAR1-11, BnFAR1-21 and BnFAR1-4 decreased under shading stress. The expression of BnFAR1-10, BnFAR1-11 and BnFAR1-21 increased under low-temperature stress, whereas the expression of BnFAR1-4 did not change. In addition, the results of the tissue expression analysis showed that most of the genes exhibited the lowest expression in pollen and the highest expression in the 54-day silique. This study screened a batch of BnFHY3/BnFAR1 gene resources, which will contribute to further research on the functional characteristics of BnFHY3/BnFAR1 family members in growth, development and the stress response. Full article
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17 pages, 5131 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Characterization of MADS-box Genes Identifies Candidates Associated with Flower and Fruit Development in Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)
by Wenxiang Li, Xiaopei Liu, Chongbin Zhao, Wendong Wu, Yuanyuan Jiang, Wenbing Su, Shunquan Lin, Xianghui Yang and Ze Peng
Agronomy 2023, 13(11), 2709; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13112709 - 27 Oct 2023
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Abstract
The MADS-box transcription factors have garnered substantial attention due to their crucial involvement in various biological processes, particularly in flower organogenesis. A comprehensive investigation into the MADS-box genes remains lacking in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.). In the current study, to preliminarily explore [...] Read more.
The MADS-box transcription factors have garnered substantial attention due to their crucial involvement in various biological processes, particularly in flower organogenesis. A comprehensive investigation into the MADS-box genes remains lacking in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.). In the current study, to preliminarily explore the potential candidate genes related to flower and fruit development, a genome-wide analysis was carried out to identify and characterize the MADS-box gene family in loquat. Among the 125 identified EjMADS-box members, 49 genes belonged to type Ⅰ, which were subsequently assigned to three subfamilies: Mα (25 genes), Mβ (10 genes), and Mγ (14 genes). Additionally, 76 genes fell under type II, which were categorized into two groups: MIKCC (70 genes) and MIKC* (6 genes). Through the collinearity analysis and comparison of the gene numbers between loquat and other Rosaceae genomes, it was revealed that the type Ⅱ MADS-box members were expanded in Maloideae after a whole genome duplication. The gene expression analysis utilizing various tissues during flower development revealed that the expression patterns of the ABCDE model homologs were conserved in loquat. In addition, several candidate genes potentially involved in flower bud differentiation (EjMADS107/109) and fruit expansion (EjMADS24/46/49/55/61/67/77/86) were identified. This analysis could serve as a fundamental basis for investigating the molecular functions of the MADS-box genes in the development of flowers as well as fruits in loquat. Full article
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15 pages, 24380 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Analysis Revealed NBS-LRR Gene Candidates Associated with Bacterial Wilt Resistance in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)
by Yaolan Jiang, Zhiliang Li, Wenxiang Li, Hefen Cheng, Wei Zhao, Tao Li, Baojuan Sun, Qian You and Dinggang Zhou
Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2583; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102583 - 09 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1036
Abstract
NBS-LRR genes constitute one of the largest resistance gene families in plants, which play key roles in resistance to pathogens. Although the identification and characterization of the NBS-LRR gene family has been extensively reported in various species, a comprehensive analysis in eggplant has [...] Read more.
NBS-LRR genes constitute one of the largest resistance gene families in plants, which play key roles in resistance to pathogens. Although the identification and characterization of the NBS-LRR gene family has been extensively reported in various species, a comprehensive analysis in eggplant has not been previously documented. In this study, a total of 269 SmNBS genes were identified in the eggplant genome. Based on domain classification and phylogenetic analysis, SmNBSs were divided into three subgroups 231 CNLs (CC-NBS-LRR), 36 TNLs (TIR-NBS-LRR), and 2 RNLs (RPW8-NBS-LRR). Chromosomal mapping analysis revealed an uneven distribution of SmNBSs in clusters across chromosomes, with a predominant presence on chromosomes 10, 11, and 12. Structural analysis identified eight conserved motifs previously reported in SmNBSs, exhibiting high conservation in both amino acid sequences and their order. Evolutionary analysis demonstrated that tandem duplication events mainly contributed to the expansion of SmNBS. Subsequently, qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that nine SmNBSs exhibited differential expression patterns in response to R. solanacearum stress, with EGP05874.1 potentially involved in the resistance response. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive insight into SmNBSs, which will enhance the research on eggplant disease resistance and facilitate the breeding of new disease-resistant varieties. Full article
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18 pages, 4195 KiB  
Article
The Comprehensive Detection of mRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs in Lychee Response to Lychee Downy Blight
by Mao Yin, Yingjie Wen, Juge Liu, Yonghua Jiang, Fachao Shi, Jiezhen Chen, Changhe Cai, Liangxi Ou, Qian Yan and Hailun Liu
Agronomy 2023, 13(7), 1904; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071904 - 19 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 953
Abstract
Lychee downy blight (LDB) is an oomycete pathogen (Peronophythora litchi) disease, which affects the fruits and leaves of lychee, resulting in economic losses. Chemical fungicides are commonly used for disease control, while for eco-safety measures, the study of molecular mechanisms involved [...] Read more.
Lychee downy blight (LDB) is an oomycete pathogen (Peronophythora litchi) disease, which affects the fruits and leaves of lychee, resulting in economic losses. Chemical fungicides are commonly used for disease control, while for eco-safety measures, the study of molecular mechanisms involved in lychee resistance against LDB is necessary. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), circular (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs), play a crucial role in plant disease resistance. To examine lychee response (fruits and leaves) to LDB, we studied the expression patterns of ncRNAs and mRNAs under LDB treatment. By whole transcriptome sequencing analyses, a total of 36,885 mRNAs, 2627 lncRNAs, 4682 circRNAs, and 525 miRNAs were identified in lychee. A differential expression (DE) analysis revealed that there were 1095 DEmRNAs, 89 DElncRNAs, 28 DEcircRNAs, and 28 DEmiRNAs in the LDB-treated fruits, as well as 1158 DEmRNAs, 132 DElncRNAs, 13 DEcircRNAs, and 197 DEmiRNAs in the LDB-treated leaves. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that the potential function of DEmRNAs and the targets of ncRNAs were involved in plant defense. Furthermore, co-expression networks of putative interacting ncRNAs and mRNAs were developed, in which mRNAs encoded some receptor proteins, pointing to potential ncRNAs associated with LDB infection. Our study provided a new, brief insight to the putative role of ncRNAs in lychee response to LDB. Full article
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18 pages, 11067 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic Insights into the Development of Olecranon Honey Peach Fruits Using Two Different Planting Methods
by Yuanxin Qiu, Zexiong Zhang, Dongjie Liu, Jianliang Liu, Qin Wang, Qian Yu, Le Zhong and Hongfeng Xie
Agronomy 2023, 13(7), 1833; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071833 - 11 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1091
Abstract
The olecranon honey peach is China’s national geographic identification product because of its crisp texture and high sweetness. In recent years, new field management practices have been developed. In this study, fruits (‘SJH’) grown through new planting methods, i.e., black bags combined with [...] Read more.
The olecranon honey peach is China’s national geographic identification product because of its crisp texture and high sweetness. In recent years, new field management practices have been developed. In this study, fruits (‘SJH’) grown through new planting methods, i.e., black bags combined with bio-organic fermentation fertilizer, were compared with those (‘SBY’) grown by conventional planting methods, i.e., using a chemical fertilizer without bagging, to determine their effects on improving fruit quality. At maturity, the ‘SJH’ was significantly higher than ‘SBY’ in terms of weight, hardness, and sugar content by 14.43%, 19.55% and 9.66%, respectively. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology analysis was performed on ‘SJH’ and ‘SBY’ to identify the main regulatory pathways involved in fruit development, especially focusing on cell-wall biogenesis and sugar metabolism. We identified a total of 1660 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ‘SJH’ and 5673 genes in ‘SBY’ throughout the development. A clustering analysis of DEGs revealed that the expression patterns of key genes involved in cell-wall biogenesis and sugar metabolism pathways in ‘SJH’ differed from those in ‘SBY’, such as cellulose synthase-like protein D (CS-LPD), sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase (SUS). The new cultivation technology promoted soluble sugar accumulation and cell-wall synthesis through molecular regulation, which improved the sweetness and sensory quality of the fruit. These findings contribute towards to the development of novel ideas for the better cultivation of peaches and provide a deeper investigation into the molecular mechanism of their development. Full article
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