Effects of Salicylic Acid, Jasmonic Acid, and Calcium Chloride on Reducing Chilling Injury of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Fruit

Authors
S. H. Mirdehghan
F. Ghotbi
Department of Horticultural Sciences, College of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Abstract
The pomegranate fruits of cvs. Malas Yazdi and Malas Ashkezar were immersed in SA (1 and 2 mM from source of acytyl salicylic acid) for five minutes, in JA (0.3 and 0.4 mM from source of n-propyl dihydrojasmonate) for fifteen minutes, in CaCl2 (1 and 2%) for five minutes, and in distilled water for five minutes as control. Then, the fruits were stored in cold storage at 1.5±0.5ºC and 85±5% relative humidity for 2 months. Every 21 days, samples were taken out of the cold storage and were kept at 20ºC for 3 days before analysis. The analysis results revealed that treatments with SA, JA, and CaCl2 significantly reduced the chilling injury of pomegranate fruits. The lowest chilling injury index was observed in 0.4 mM of JA-treated fruits and the highest was for untreated fruits. Electrolyte leakage of fruits increased upon treatments of fruits with 0.3 mM JA and 2 mM SA, but it was not significantly affected by other treatments. Treatments of fruits with SA, JA, and CaCl2 had no significant effect on phenolic compounds, but the total soluble solids of fruit juices was increased. Our findings indicated that total antioxidant activity decreased in treatments with 1, 2 mM SA and 0.3 mM JA , but it was not significantly affected by other treatments.

Keywords

1. Artes, F., Tudela, J. A. and Villaescusa, R. 2000. Thermal Postharvest Treatments for Improving Pomegranate Quality and Shelf Life. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 18: 245–251.
2. Asghari, M. and Aghdam, M. 2010. Impact of Salicylic Acid on Postharvest Physiology of Horticultural Crops. Trends Food Sci. Technol., 21: 502-509.
3. Bitencourt De Souza, A. L., Quintao Scalon, S. D. P., Chitarra, M. I. F. and Chitarra, A. B. 1999. Postharvest Application of CaCl2 in Strawberry Fruits (Fragaria ananassa Dutch cv. Sequoia): Evaluation of Fruit Quality and Postharvest Life. Cienc. Eagrotec. Lavras., 23: 841-848.
4. Cao, S., Zheng, Y., Wang, K., Jin, P. and Rui, H. 2009. Methyl Jasmonate Reduce Chilling Injury and Enhances Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in Postharvest Loquat Fruit. Food Chem., 115: 1458-1463.
5. Cao, S., Cai, Y., Yang, Z. and Zheng, Y. 2012. MeJA Induces Chilling Tolerance in Loquat Fruit by Regulating Proline and Ɣ-Aminobutyric Acid Contents. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 133: 1466–1470.
6. Chanjirakul, K., Wang, S., Wang, C. and Siriphanich, J. 2006. Effect of Natural Volatile Compounds on Antioxidant Capacity and Antioxidant Enzymes in Raspberries. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 40: 106-115.
7. Chaplin, G. R. and Scott, K. J. 1980. Association of Calcium in Chilling Injury Susceptibility of Stored Avocados. HortSci., 15: 514-515.
8. Creelman, R. A. and Mullet, J. E. 1997. Biosynthesis and Action of Jasmonate in Plants. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol., 48: 355-381.
9. Ding, C. K., Wang, C. Y., Gross, K. C. and Smith, D. L. 2001. Reduction of Chilling Injury and Transcript Accumulation of Heat Shock Protein Genes in Tomatoes by Methyl Jasmonate and Methyl Salicylate. Plant Sci.,161: 1153-1159.
10. Ding, C. K., Wang, C. Y., Gross, K. C. and Smith, D. L. 2002. Jasmonate and Salicylate Induce the Expression of Pathogenesis-related-protein Genes and Increase Resistance to Chilling Injury in Tomato Fruit. Planta, 214: 895-901.
11. Ding, Z. S., Tian, S. P., Zheng, X. L., Zhou, Z. W. and Xu, Y. 2007. Responses of Reactive Oxygen Metabolism and Quality in Mango Fruit to Exogenous Oxalic Acid or Salicylic Acid under Chilling Temperature Stress. Physiol. Plant., 130: 112–121.
12. El-Nemr, S. E., Ismail, I. A. and Ragab, M. 1990. Chemical Composition of Juice and Seeds of Pomegranate Fruit. Die Nahrung., 34: 601–606.
13. Elyatem, S. M. and Kader, A. A. 1984. Postharvest Physiology and Storage Behavior of Pomegranate Fruits. Sci. Hort., 24: 287-298.
14. Evans, R., Diplock, C. A. and Symons, A. T. 1991. Mechanisms of Radical Production. In: “Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molcular Biology: Techniques in Free Radical Research”, (Eds.): Burdon, R. H. and Van-Knippenbery P. H.. Elsevier, Amsterdam, PP. 19-50
15. Fung, R. W. M., Wang, C. Y., Smith, D. L., Gross, K. C. and Tian, M. 2004. MeSA and MeJA Increase Steady-state Transcript Levels of Alternative Oxidase and Resistance against Chilling Injury in Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). Plant Sci., 166: 711-719.
16. Gaffney, T., Friedrich, L., Vernooij, B., Negrotto, D., Nye, G., Uknes, S., Ward, E., Kessmann, H. and Ryals, j. 1993. Rquirement of Salicylic Acid for the Induction of Systemic Acquired Resistance. Sci., 261: 754-756.
17. Garcia, J. M., Herrea, S. and Morilla, A., 1996. Effects of Postharvest Dips in Calcium Chloride on Strawberry. J. Agric. Food Chem., 44: 30-33.
18. Gil, M. I., Tomas-Barberan, F. A., Hess-Pierce, B., Holcroft, D. M. and Kader, A. A. 2000. Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate Juice and Its Relationship with Phenolic Composition and Processing. J. Agric. Food. Chem., 48: 4581–4589.
19. Gonzalez-Aguilar, G. A., Fortiz, J., Cruz, R., Baez, R. and Wang, C. Y. 2000. Methyl Jasmonate Reduces Chilling Injury and Maintains Postharvest Quality of Mango Fruit. J. Agric. Food Chem., 48: 515-519.
20. Gonzalez-Aguilar, G. A., Tiznado-Hernandez, M. E., Zavaleta-Gatica, R. and Martinez-Tellez, M. A. 2004. Methyl Jasmonate Treatments Reduce Chilling Injury and Activate the Defense Response of Guava Fruits. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 313: 694–701.
21. Hochstein, P. and Atallah, A. S. 1988. The Nature of Oxidant and Antioxidant Systems in Inhibition of Mutation and Cancer. Mutation Res., 202: 363–375.
22. Huang, R. H., Liu, J. H., Lu, Y. M. and Xia, R. X. 2008. Effect of Salicylic Acid on the Antioxidant System in the Pulp of ‘Cara Cara’ Navel Orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) at Different Storage Temperatures. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 47: 168-175.
23. Kondo, S., Jitratham, A., Kittikorn, M. and Kanlayanarat, S. 2004. Relationships between Jasmonates and Chilling Injury Inmangosteens Are Affected by Spermine. Hort. Sci., 39: 1346–1348.
24. Kulkarni, A. P., Aradhya, S. M. and Divakar, S. 2004. Isolation and Identification of a Radical Scavenging Antioxidant–punicalagin from Pith and Carpellary Membrane of Pomegranate Fruit. Food Chem., 87: 551–557.
25. Lester, G. E., Grusak, M. A. 1999. Postharvest Application of Calcium and Magnesium to ،Honeydew’ and ،Netted’ Muskmelons: Effects on Tissue Ion Concentrations, Quality and Senescence. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., 124: 545-552.
26. Malamy, J., Carr, J. P., Klessig, D. F. and Raskin, I. 1990. Salicylic Acid: A Likely Endogenous Signal in the Resistance Response of Tobacco to Viral Infection. Sci., 250: 1002-1004.
27. McCollum, T. G. and McDonald, R. E. 1991. Electrolyte Leakage, Respiration and Ethylene Production as Indices of Chilling Injury in Grapefruit. HortSci., 26: 1191–1192.
28. Meir, S., philosoph-Hadas, S., Lurie, S., Droby, S., Akerman, M., Zauberman, G., Shapiro, B., Cohen, E. and Fuchs, Y. 1996. Reduction of Chilling Injury in Stored Avocado, Grapefruit and Bell Pepper by Methyl Jasmonate. Can. J. Bot., 74: 870-874.
29. Meng, X., Han, J., Wang, Q. and Tian, S. 2009. Changes in Physiology and Quality of Peach Fruit Treated by Methyl Jasmonate under Low Temperature Stress. Food Chem., 114: 1028-1035.
30. Mirdehghan, S. H., Rahemi, M., Castillo, S., Martinez-Romero, D., Serrano, M. and Valero, D. 2007a. Pre-storage Application of Polyamines by Pressure or Immersion Improves Shelf-life of Pomegranate Stored at Chilling Temperature by Increasing Endogenous Polyamine Levels. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 44: 26-33.
31. Mirdehghan, S. H., Rahemi, M., Martinez-Romero, D., Guillen, F., Valverde, J. M., Zapata, P. J., Serrano, M. and Valero, D. 2007b. Reduction of Pomegranate Chilling Injury during Storage after Heat Treatment: Role of Polyamines. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 44: 19-25.
32. Moline, H. E., Buta, J. G., Saftner, R. A. and Maas, J. L. 1997. Comparison of Three Volatile Natural Products for the Reduction of Postharvest Decay in Strawberries. Adv. Strawberry Res., 16: 43–48.
33. Moline, H. E. and Teasdale, J. 1981. Some Effects of Calcium Treatments on Ripening Rate and Chilling Injury of Tomato Fruit. Proc. 3rd Tomato Quality Workshop. College Park, MD, PP. 119-131.
34. Pezeshki Rad, Gh., Golshiri Esfahani, Z. and Chizari, M. 2009. Learner Satisfaction with Pomegranate Production Extension-Education Courses in Yazd Province, Iran. J. Agr. Sci. Tech., 11: 49-55.
35. Picchioni, G. A., Watada, A. E., Conway, W. S., Whitaker, B. and Sams, C. E. 1998. Postharvest Calcium Infiltration Delays Membrane Lipid Catabolism in Apple Fruit. J. Agric. Food Chem., 46: 2452-2457.
36. Popova, L., Pancheva, T. and Uzunova, A. 1997. Salicylic acid: Properties, Biosynthesis and Physiological Role. Bulg. J. Plant Physiol., 23: 85-93.
37. Prior, R., Cao, G., Martin, A., Sofic, E., McEwen, J., O'Brien, C., Lischner, N., Ehlenfeldt, M., Kalt, W. and Krewer, G. 1998. Antioxidant Capacity as Influenced by Total Phenolic and Anthocyanin Content, Maturity, and Variety of Vaccinium Species. J. Agric. Food. Chem., 46: 2686-2693.
38. Qin, G., Tian, S., Xu, Y. and Wan, Y. 2003. Enhancement of Biocontrol Efficacy of Antagonistic Yeasts by Salicylic Acid in Sweet Cherry Fruit. Physiol. Mol. Plant Pathol., 62: 147-154.
39. Ramezanian, A. and Rahemi, M. 2011. Chilling Resistance in Pomegranate Fruits with Spermidine and Calcium Chloride Treatments. Int. J. Fruit Sci., 11: 276-285.
40. Ranjbar, H., Zou Alfaghari Nasab, R., Ghasemnezhad, M. and Sarkhoush, A. 2007. Effect of Methyl Jasmonate on Inducing Chilling Tolerance in Pomegranate Fruits (Malas Save). Pajouhesh-Va- Sazandegi Agron. Hortic., 20: 43-49. (In Farsi)
41. Rudell, D. R., Mattheis, J. P. and Fellman, J. K. 2002. Methyl Jasmonate Enhances Anthocyanin Accumulation and Modifies Production of Phenolics and Pigments in ‘Fuji’ Apples. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., 127: 435–441.
42. Sadeghi, N., Jannat, B., Oveisi, M. R., Hajimahmoodi, M., Photovat, M. 2009. Antioxidant activity of Iranian Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Seed Extracts. J. Agr. Sci. Tech., 11: 633-638.
43. Sayyari, M., Babalar, M., Kalantari, S., Serrano, M. and Valero, D. 2009. Effect of Salicylic Acid Treatment on Reducing Chilling Injury in Stored Pomegranates. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 53: 152-154.
44. Serrano, M., Guillen, F., Martinez-Romero, D., Castillo, S. and Valero, D. 2005. Chemical Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Sweet Cherry at Different Ripening Stages. J. Agric. Food Chem., 53: 2741-2745.
45. Srivastava, M. K., Dwivedi, U. N. 2000. Delayed Ripening of Banana Fruit by Salicylic Acid. Plant Sci., 158: 87–96.
46. Wade, N. L. 1981. Effects of Storage Atmosphere, Temperature and Calcium on Low-Temperature Injury of Peach Fruit. Sci. Hort., 15: 145-154.
47. Wang, C. Y. and Buta, G. 1994. Methyl Jasmonate Reduce Chilling Injury in Cucurbita pepo through Its Regulation of Abscisic Acid and Polyamine Levels. Environ. Exp. Bot., 43: 427-432.
48. Wang, L., Chen, S., Kong, W., Li, S. and Archbold, D. D. 2006. Salicylic Acid Pretreatment Alleviates Chilling Injury and Affects the Antioxidant System and Heat Shock Proteins of Peaches during Cold Storage. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 41: 244-251.
49. Wang, Y. S., Wang, J., Yang, Z. M., Wang, Q. Y., Lu, B., Li, S.Q., Lu, Y. P., Wang, S. H. and Sun, X. 2004. Salicylic Acid Modulates Aluminum-induced Oxidative Stress in Roots of Cassia tora. Acta. Bot. Sin., 46: 819-828.
50. Yang, Y. N., Qi, M. and Mei, C. S. 2004. Endogenous Salicylic Acid Protects Rice Plants from Oxidative Damage Caused by Aging as well as Biotic and Bbiotic Stress. Plant J., 40: 909-919.
51. Yasoubi, P., Barzegar, M., Sahari M. A. and Azizi, M. H. 2007. Total Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Peel Extracts. J. Agric. Sci. Technol., 9: 35-42.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume 16, Issue 1
January and February 2014
Pages 163-173