Alleviatory effects of salicylic acid on postharvest softening and cell wall degradation of ‘Jinshayou’ pummelo (Citrus maxima Merr.): A comparative physiological and transcriptomic analysis

The regulatory mechanisms underlying the salicylic acid (SA)-mediated inhibition of senescence in pummelo fruit, the largest known citrus variety, remain unclear. Herein, postharvest 0.3% SA treatment was demonstrated to delay postharvest ‘Jinshayou’ pummelo senescence, as evidenced by the inhibitions in firmness loss, electrolyte leakage increase, and color change. Using comparative transcriptomic data, a total of 4367, 3769, and 1659 DEGs were identified between CK0 and CK60, CK0 and SA60, and CK60 and SA60, respectively. Further GO analysis revealed that DEGs were mainly implicated in the processes of cell wall modification and phenylpropanoid pathway during fruit senescence. More importantly, postharvest exogenous 0.3% SA treatment was observed to inhibit CWDEs activities and their encoding gene expression, retain higher protopectin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses contents, as well as reduce WSP content, thus maintaining cell wall structure. These findings collectively indicated that postharvest SA treatment was a green and useful preservative for alleviating fruit senescence and prolonging the storage life of harvested ‘Jiashayou’ pummelo fruit.