ABSTRACT
Jasmonates (JAs), including jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivative methyl jasmonate (MeJA), have been found in a wide range of higher plants and considered hormones acting in the regulation of a wide range of physiological processes in plants, including growth, photosynthesis, reproductive development, and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. The most studied effect of JAs has been their role as elicitors triggering the plant defense responses against herbivores and pathogens attacks. However, recently it has been also reported that JAs, applied as pre-or postharvest treatments, affect fruit quality parameters either at harvest or during postharvest storage, by increasing the fruit content on bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, such as phenolics and anthocyanins, as well as by reducing the severity of chilling injury damage. Moreover, MeJA and JA treatments have effects accelerating or delaying the fruit ripening depending on fruit species, applied doses and the fruit developmental stage when the treatment is made. Overall, the application of JA and its derivatives, especially MeJA,
has a great potential in the agro-food industry due to their beneficial effect on fruit quality attributes (organoleptic, nutritive, and increased bioactive compounds). These benefits can be obtained by either the application as preharvest or postharvest treatments. Especially, the preharvest MeJA treatment could be considered as simple, economic, and easily applied treatment for practical purposes and is therefore proposed as a recommendable practice to increase fruit quality and the content of specific phenolic compounds with a potential health benefits.
