Commonalities and differences in the response of peach fruit to heat and cold after harvest allowed the identification of factors involved in chilling injury protection

DRINCOVICH, MARÍA FABIANA; BUSTAMANTE, CLAUDIA; LAUXMANN, MARTÍN ALEXANDER; BORSANI, JULIA; MONTI, LAURA; GISMODI, MAURO; BUDDE, CLAUDIO OLAF; GABILONDO, JULIETA; OSORIO ALGAR, SOÑA; FERNIE, ALISDAIR R; LARA, MARÍA VALERIA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; XV Congreso Latinoamericano y XXX Reunión Argentina de FisiologíaVegetal; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Fisiología Vegetal

Cold storage is extensively used to slow the rapid deterioration of peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) fruit after harvest. Conversely, peach fruit subjected to long periods of cold storage develop chilling injury (CI) symptoms. Post-harvest heat treatment (HT) of peach fruit prior to cold storage is effective in reducing some CI symptoms, maintaining fruit quality, preventing softening and controlling post-harvest diseases. To identify the molecular changes induced by HT, which may be associated to CI protection, we compared transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic responses of peach fruits to post-harvest HT (3 days, 39ºC) and to short cold storage (3 or 5 days, 0ºC). Overall, the results obtained allowed the identification of common and distinct responses to heat and cold involved in different complex cellular processes. The observed responses towards temperature stress in peaches are part of a general adaptive response that confers strategic advantages in adverse conditions; and aid in unravelling the basis for the CI protection induced by HT in peach fruit. In summary, the results obtained allowed the construction of a catalogue of transcripts, proteins and metabolites involved in priming the fruit to cope with different stress situations, which will likely contribute to the improvement of plant breeding programs