Fruit ripening: physiology, signalling and genomics

Authors: NATH, PRAVENDRA - National Botanical Research Institute - India; BOUZAYEN, MONDHER - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); Mattoo, Autar; PECH, JEAN CLAUDE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Submitted to: CABI(Council of Applied Biology International, Oxford, United Kingdom
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/27/2014
Publication Date: 7/16/2014
Citation: Nath, P., Bouzayen, M., Mattoo, A.K., Pech, J. 2014. Fruit ripening: physiology, signalling and genomics. CABI(Council of Applied Biology International, Oxford, United Kingdom. ISBN-13:9781845939625.

Interpretive Summary: The science of fruit ripening has progressed strikingly in recent years largely due to a number of breakthrough discoveries including key factors and signalling pathways that impact fruit metabolism. A major effort of public and private research in this arena has been to find ways to control perishable nature of fleshy fruit and thereby their postharvest life span. In the past, such practices included fruit treatment with chemicals that inhibited ripening, use of plastic films to prevent loss of fruit moisture, and dip treatment with waxes and other adjuvants. Most of such treatments increased the shelf life and therefore marketability of fruit. Once the biosynthetic pathway of ethylene was elucidated, molecular genetics approaches established that suppression of ethylene biosynthesis genes prevented ripening of tomato fruit. Treatment of such genetically engineered fruit with exogenous ethylene made them to ripen, providing definitive evidence that ethylene is a major catalyst of ripening in fruit. Since then the field of fruit ripening has blossomed and in recent years the literature has been flooded with new information on the physiological, biochemical and genetic basis of ripening. The implementation of advanced genomics and post-genomics tools has opened new perspectives in the elucidation of the complex network of interactions between the different signalling and regulatory elements and has shown that the fruit ripening process is under both genetic and epigenetic control. Building on recently available genome sequences for a number of fruit species and implementing “omics” approaches offer new opportunities for addressing in an unprecedented way the mechanisms underlying fruit ripening and quality traits. This book brings together chapters on ripening mutants, genomics/metagenomics, and epigenetic control of ripening, emphasizing novel strategies, together with subjects on fruit biodiversity, genetics of sensory quality and biotechnology. It is meant to provide in totality a present day meaning to diverse and complex processes that regulate the life of a fruit.

Technical Abstract: Fruit development and ripening represent the terminal phase of plant development. It is during this phase that fleshy fruits are enriched with sensory and nutritional quality attributes. Fruits are a dietary source of vitamins, minerals and fibre but, due to their short postharvest life, a large portion of the produce is lost. It is not, therefore, surprising that a major effort of public and private research in this arena has been to find ways to control perishability of fleshy fruit and thereby their postharvest life span. The science into the basis of fruit ripening has progressed strikingly in recent years largely due to a number of breakthrough discoveries that uncovered some of the key factors and signalling pathways by which ripening-related genes are set into motion. These advances have been occurring at a fast speed and there is no single treatise available that provides one stop, one source to gather them. This book presents 19 chapters written by world leaders in the field with an aim to bring forth comprehensive and concise information on the advances in fruit research. It fills a long-felt need of having a comprehensive treatise in each sub-discipline covering various aspects of fruit development and ripening. This book would be of interest to students and specialists such as plant physiologists, molecular geneticists, horticulturists and molecular breeders.