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Dhandapani S, Philip VS, Nabeela Nasreen SAA, Tan AMX, Jayapal PK, Ram RJ, Park BS. Effects of Storage Temperatures on Nitrogen Assimilation and Remobilization during Post-Harvest Senescence of Pak Choi. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1540. [PMID: 37892222 PMCID: PMC10605075 DOI: 10.3390/biom13101540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In the agricultural industry, the post-harvest leafy vegetable quality and shelf life significantly influence market value and consumer acceptability. This study examined the effects of different storage temperatures on leaf senescence, nitrogen assimilation, and remobilization in Pak Choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis). Mature Pak Choi plants were harvested and stored at two different temperatures, 4 °C and 25 °C. Senescence was tracked via chlorophyll content and leaf yellowing. Concurrently, alterations in the total nitrogen, nitrate, and protein content were quantified on days 0, 3, 6, and 9 in old, mid, and young leaves of Pak Choi plants. As expected, 4 °C alleviated chlorophyll degradation and delayed senescence of Pak Choi compared to 25 °C. Total nitrogen and protein contents were inversely correlated, while the nitrate content remained nearly constant across leaf groups at 25 °C. Additionally, the transcript levels of genes involved in nitrogen assimilation and remobilization revealed key candidate genes that were differentially expressed between 4 °C and 25 °C, which might be targeted to extend the shelf life of the leafy vegetables. Thus, this study provides pivotal insights into the molecular and physiological responses of Pak Choi to post-harvest storage conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savitha Dhandapani
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore; (S.D.)
- Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, Singapore 138602, Singapore
| | - Vidya Susan Philip
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore; (S.D.)
| | | | - Alice Mei Xien Tan
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore; (S.D.)
- Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, Singapore 138602, Singapore
| | - Praveen Kumar Jayapal
- Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, Singapore 138602, Singapore
| | - Rajeev J. Ram
- Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, Singapore 138602, Singapore
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Bong Soo Park
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore; (S.D.)
- Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, Singapore 138602, Singapore
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Wang K, Xing Q, Ahammed GJ, Zhou J. Functions and prospects of melatonin in plant growth, yield, and quality. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:5928-5946. [PMID: 35640564 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an indole molecule widely found in animals and plants. It is well known that melatonin improves plant resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses due to its potent free radical scavenging ability while being able to modulate plant signaling and response pathways through mostly unknown mechanisms. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have shown that melatonin plays a crucial role in improving crop quality and yield by participating in the regulation of various aspects of plant growth and development. Here, we review the effects of melatonin on plant vegetative growth and reproductive development, and systematically summarize its molecular regulatory network. Moreover, the effective concentrations of exogenously applied melatonin in different crops or at different growth stages of the same crop are analysed. In addition, we compare endogenous phytomelatonin concentrations in various crops and different organs, and evaluate a potential function of phytomelatonin in plant circadian rhythms. The prospects of different approaches in regulating crop yield and quality through exogenous application of appropriate concentrations of melatonin, endogenous modification of phytomelatonin metabolism-related genes, and the use of nanomaterials and other technologies to improve melatonin utilization efficiency are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaixin Wang
- Department of Horticulture/Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya 572025, China
| | - Qufan Xing
- Department of Horticulture/Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Golam Jalal Ahammed
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Stress Resistance Regulation and Safe Production of Protected Vegetables, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Department of Horticulture/Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya 572025, China
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Agricultural Ministry of China, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Shandong (Linyi) Institute of Modern Agriculture, Zhejiang University, Linyi, 276000, China
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Zang H, Ma J, Wu Z, Yuan L, Lin ZQ, Zhu R, Bañuelos GS, Reiter RJ, Li M, Yin X. Synergistic Effect of Melatonin and Selenium Improves Resistance to Postharvest Gray Mold Disease of Tomato Fruit. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:903936. [PMID: 35812947 PMCID: PMC9257244 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.903936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Melatonin (MT) is a ubiquitous hormone molecule that is commonly distributed in nature. MT not only plays an important role in animals and humans but also has extensive functions in plants. Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for animals and humans, and is a beneficial element in higher plants at low concentrations. Postharvest diseases caused by fungal pathogens lead to huge economic losses worldwide. In this study, tomato fruits were treated with an optimal sodium selenite (20 mg/L) and melatonin (10 μmol/L) 2 h and were stored for 7 days at room temperature simulating shelf life, and the synergistic effects of Se and MT collectively called Se-Mel on gray mold decay in tomato fruits by Botrytis cinerea was investigated. MT did not have antifungal activity against B. cinerea in vitro, while Se significantly inhibited gray mold development caused by B. cinerea in tomatoes. However, the interaction of MT and Se showed significant inhibition of the spread and growth of the disease, showing the highest control effect of 74.05%. The combination of MT with Se treatment enhanced the disease resistance of fruits by improving the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), as well as increasing the gene expression level of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. Altogether, our results indicate that the combination of MT and Se would induce the activation of antioxidant enzymes and increase the expression of PR proteins genes that might directly enhance the resistance in tomato fruit against postharvest pathogenic fungus B. cinerea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huawei Zang
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agriculture University, Hefei, China
- Key Laboratory of Functional Agriculture, Bio-Engineering Research Centre of Selenium, Suzhou Research Institute, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jiaojiao Ma
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agriculture University, Hefei, China
| | - Zhilin Wu
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agriculture University, Hefei, China
| | - Linxi Yuan
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Qing Lin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, United States
| | - Renbin Zhu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Gary S. Bañuelos
- San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, Parlier, CA, United States
| | - Russel J. Reiter
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Miao Li
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agriculture University, Hefei, China
- The Central Area of Anhui Province Station for Integrative Agriculture, Research Institute of New Rural Development, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Xuebin Yin
- Key Laboratory of Functional Agriculture, Bio-Engineering Research Centre of Selenium, Suzhou Research Institute, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
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Hernández-Ruiz J, Ruiz-Cano D, Giraldo-Acosta M, Cano A, Arnao MB. Melatonin in Brassicaceae: Role in Postharvest and Interesting Phytochemicals. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27051523. [PMID: 35268624 PMCID: PMC8911641 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Brassicaceae plants are of great interest for human consumption due to their wide variety and nutritional qualities. Of the more than 4000 species that make up this family, about a hundred varieties of 6–8 genera are extensively cultivated. One of the most interesting aspects is its high content of glucosinolates, which are plant secondary metabolites with widely demonstrated anti-oncogenic properties that make them healthy. The most relevant Brassicaceae studies related to food and melatonin are examined in this paper. The role of melatonin as a beneficial agent in seedling grown mainly in cabbage and rapeseed and in the postharvest preservation of broccoli is especially analyzed. The beneficial effect of melatonin treatments on the organoleptic properties of these commonly consumed vegetables can be of great interest in the agri-food industry. Melatonin application extends the shelf life of fresh-cut broccoli while maintaining optimal visual and nutritional parameters. In addition, an integrated model indicating the role of melatonin on the organoleptic properties, the biosynthesis of glucosinolates and the regulatory action of these health-relevant compounds with anti-oncogenic activity is presented.
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