Deploying Functional Genomic Tools to Address Chilling Injury Problem in Peach Fruit

摘要

Although peach and nectarine production worldwide is increasing, consumption is flat or declining because of inconsistent fruit quality (Crisosto, 2006). Chilling injury (CI) is a global postharvest problem in peach fruit caused by cold temperatures in storage and/or during transportation. Major symptoms of CI are mealiness, flesh browning, internal bleeding, loss of flavor and development of off flavors. CI is the major cause of consumer dissatisfaction resulting in decreased consumption. The CI problem is not limited to peach and nectarine; many fresh cut produce such as tomato, melon, pepper and cucumbers suffer from CI. Symptoms such as failure to ripen, irregular color, premature softening, surface pitting, browning of seeds, increased decay, discoloration, and development of off-flavors are often reported for these commodities.