ABSTRACT
Jasmonic acid (JA) or its methyl ester (methyl jasmonate, MJ), collectively known as jasmonates (JAs), are naturally occurring plant growth regulators (PGRs) (Sembder and Parthier 1993; Creelman and Mullet 1995) that are involved in variety of responses in higher plants including cell division, fruit growth (Kondo and Fukuda 2001), and fruit ripening (Fan et al. 1998b). The level of JAs has been reported to change during fruit development. In apple, the concentration of endogenous MJ is higher at maturity compared to the initial fruit-growing period (Kondo et al. 2000),
10.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 211 10.2 Biosynthesis of Jasmonates ........................................................................... 212
10.2.1 Linolenic Acid and Lipases .............................................................. 212 10.2.2 Lipoxygenase .................................................................................... 213 10.2.3 Allene Oxide Synthase ..................................................................... 213
10.3 Methods of MJ Application .......................................................................... 214 10.4 Interaction with Other Plant Growth Regulators .......................................... 214
10.4.1 Ethylene ............................................................................................ 214 10.4.2 Abscisic Acid .................................................................................... 215 10.4.3 Salicylic Acid .................................................................................... 215 10.4.4 Polyamines ........................................................................................ 216
10.5 MJ and Fruit-Ripening ................................................................................. 217 10.6 MJ and Fruit Quality .................................................................................... 217
10.6.1 Color Development ........................................................................... 218 10.6.2 Fruit-Softening.................................................................................. 218 10.6.3 Soluble Solids and Sugars ................................................................. 218 10.6.4 Phytochemicals .................................................................................226 10.6.5 Oxidative Stress ................................................................................226
