Effect of 1‐MCP and ethylene absorbent on the development of lenticel disorder of ‘Xinli No.7’ pear and possible mechanisms

AbstractBACKGROUDA common lenticel disorder which occurs in the peel of ‘Xinli No. 7’ pears (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.) had not previously been described. Symptoms of this lenticel disorder include enlarging and bulging of the lenticels which results in significant commercial losses. Understanding the physiological basis of lenticel disorder and developing practical methods to control it is crucial for the successful marketing of this pear.RESULTSThe development of this lenticel disorder was found to be closely related to the endogenous ethylene production during storage. 1‐Methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP) combined with an ethylene absorbent (EA) treatment was found to significantly reduce the development of the disorder by inhibiting the expression of ethylene related genes, PbACS1, PbACS2 and PbACO. It is proposed that the enlarged lenticels may result from increased lignin accumulation in the peel cells, which is inhibited by this combined postharvest treatment. It was shown that the expression of six lignin related genes decreased following the treatment. The results suggest that PbPAL, Pb4CL and PbCAD could be critical in regulating the development of this lenticel disorder.CONCLUSIONEndogenous ethylene plays a key role in the development of this lenticel disorder in ‘Xinli No. 7’ pear. The enlarged lenticels which is characteristic of this disorder maybe related to increased lignin accumulation in the peel cells, which were inhibited with 1‐MCP combined with an EA treatment. These results provide a practical method for managing the development of lenticel disorder in ‘Xinli No. 7’ pear and helps clarify the developmental mechanisms of this disorder. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry