Botrytis cinerea differentially induces postharvest antioxidant responses in ‘Braeburn’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ apple fruit

Abstract

BACKGROUND The fruit of two apple cultivars – ‘Braeburn’, which is susceptible to inoculation with Botrytis cinerea, and the less susceptible cv. ‘Golden Delicious’ – were investigated with respect to their response to inoculation with B. cinerea. Successful infection by B. cinerea leads to an oxidative burst and perturbation of plant redox homeostasis. To investigate the interaction between apple fruit and B. cinerea, antioxidant metabolism in fruit samples from sun‐exposed and shaded sides of different tissue types was measured over time. RESULTS The sun‐exposed tissue of ‘Braeburn’ had higher initial levels of total vitamin C in the peel and phenolic compounds in the flesh than ‘Golden Delicious’, despite its greater susceptibility to gray mold. A substantial antioxidant response was recorded in diseased ‘Braeburn’ fruit 14 days after inoculation, which involved an elevated superoxide dismutase activity and ascorbate peroxidase activity, a progressive oxidation of total vitamin C, and a decrease in peroxidase activity and phenolic content. Disease development was slower on the sun‐exposed sides than on the shaded sides. CONCLUSION The two cultivars appeared to utilize different strategies to defend themselves against B. cinerea. ‘Golden Delicious’ almost entirely escaped infection. Preharvest exposure of apple fruit to high light / temperature stress appears to prepare them to better resist subsequent postharvest attack and disease. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Physiological and Proteomic Approaches to Address the Active Role of Botrytis cinerea Inoculation in Tomato Postharvest Ripening

“…The H 2 O 2 had been partly detoxified at earlier stages, possibly with the early activation of SOD initially and then by CAT, as both enzymes remained at similar levels after 1 week of storage, while other involved enzymes (POD, APX) were changed. Bui et al [55] reported that SOD increased in the B. cinerea infected apple tissue after 14 days, but CAT did not differ in the B. cinerea infected apple tissue and the control, in accordance with the present findings as CAT remained at similar levels for the healthy and DR-and SR-tomato treatments. The levels of APX and POD were decreased (consumed), possibly due to the increased oxidative stress as indicated by the revealed increased MDA and H 2 O 2 levels in DR-tomato after 1 week of storage on infected fruit.…”

“…However, carbohydrate breakdown takes place during fruit ripening [7]. Bui et al [55] reported that vitamin C content maintained at 5 days and decreased at 14 days on the infected with B. cinerea apple tissue. Similarly, in the present study, ascorbic acid on infected tissue (DR) maintained similar levels with the control after 7 days of storage but decreased in the tissue opposed to infection (SR).…”

“…FRAP antioxidant activity increased in DR-tomato compared with the control and SR-tomato treatment, but total phenols, DPPH, ABTS remained unaffected among treatments. Indeed, Bui et al [55] reported that total phenolics decreased in the B. cinerea infected apple tissue, and these differences can be attributed to the longer storage period and/or different commodities.…”

Application of Plant Extracts to Control Postharvest Gray Mold and Susceptibility of Apple Fruits to B. cinerea from Different Plant Hosts

“…Preharvest conditions during cultivation are responsible for the accumulation of phytochemicals in apples, which then influences postharvest resistance to pathogens [ 10 ]. In this study, fruits were inoculated with pathogens of apple and strawberry origin to investigate the susceptibility of apples to B. cinerea from different plant hosts.…”

“…Botrytis cinerea affects more than 200 plant hosts, including apple ( Malus domestica ) and strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ), and is widely spread in various regions [ 9 , 10 ]. This pathogen is highly aggressive due to its ability to mutate and create new strains.…”