Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Ph.D. Student of Postharvest Physiology and Technology Horticultural Crops, Department of Horticultural Science, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural ScienceCollege of Agriculture Hormozgan University Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
3
Assistant Professor, Genetics and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute of Tabarestan, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.
4
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30466/rip.2021.53619.1183
Abstract
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a subtropical fruit that is commercially cultivated in Iran. One of the major factors reducing its quality during storage is chilling injury. This study evaluated the effect of L-arginine immersion treatment on decay percentage, ethylene production, and antioxidant system activity in pomegranate fruit of the ‘Malase-e-Saveh’ cultivar during 120 days of storage at 4 ± 1 °C and 80–85% relative humidity. The experiment was conducted as a factorial in a completely randomized design with three replications per treatment. The results showed that L-arginine treatment significantly reduced ion leakage, chilling injury, ethylene production, and fruit decay. It also decreased hydrogen peroxide content and polyphenol oxidase activity in the peel. In contrast, the activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase were enhanced in L-arginine treated fruits. These findings indicate that L-arginine treatment stimulates a set of physiological defense responses that delay peel browning and improve storage quality. Overall, L-arginine treatment appears to be an effective method to enhance fruit quality and reduce postharvest chilling injury in pomegranate, with the antioxidant defense pathway playing a key role in this process.
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