Pre-harvest gibberellic acid (GA3) treatments play an important role on bioactive compounds and fruit quality of sweet cherry cultivars

doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2016.09.019

Scientia Horticulturae

Volume 211, 1 November 2016, Pages 358-362

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2016.09.019 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
GA₃ treatments significantly retarded color development of sweet cherry fruits.
•
FRF was higher in 60 mg L⁻¹ GA₃-treated fruits than in control fruits.
•
The loss in flesh firmness was delayed with GA₃ treatments.
•
Soluble solids content significantly decreased with GA₃ treatments.
•
Bioactive compounds of GA₃-treated fruits were lower.

Abstract

The effects of pre-harvest GA₃ treatments at different concentrations (0, 30 and 60 mg L⁻¹) on fruit quality attributes [geometric mean diameter, flesh firmness, hue angle, fruit removal force (FRF), soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity] and bioactive compounds (total phenolics, total anthocyanin and total antioxidant capacity) of 0900 Ziraat, Regina and Sweetheart sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars were investigated in 3 different harvest periods. GA₃-treated Sweetheart fruits were significantly larger than the control fruits. Considering the hue angle values, it was observed that GA₃ treatments retarded red color development in all three cultivars. The loss in flesh firmness throughout the ripening period was significantly retarded with GA₃ treatments in all three cultivars. Fruit removal force was significantly higher in GA₃-treated Regina and Sweetheart sweet cherries than in control fruits. The SSC values of GA₃-treated fruits were generally lower than the control fruits. Total phenolics, total anthocyanin and total antioxidant capacity of GA₃-treated fruits were also significantly lower than the control fruits. As compared to control treatment, total phenol content of Regina fruits with a week retarded harvest was 22 and 25% lower respectively in 30 and 60 mg L⁻¹ GA₃ treatments. Similar results were observed.

Introduction

Fruit size, flesh firmness and species-specific coloring are the primary quality parameters in sweet cherries. Proper harvest time is the most significant pre-condition for quality product supply to markets. Even one or two-day delays in sweet cherry harvest may result in significant decreases in flesh firmness and serious losses in marketing channels. Therefore, flesh firmness-maintaining treatments are quite significant issues in sweet cherry. Harvest periods may be prolonged through preservation of flesh firmness with various pre-harvest treatments. Prolonged harvest periods or keeping fruits for longer periods over the trees may also increase fruit sizes. Fruit size is the most significant parameter designating market value of sweet cherry (Whiting and Ophardt, 2005). Larger ones are preferred more by the consumers. They are also sold at higher prices than the smaller ones, thus provide greater incomes to producers (Lenahan et al., 2006). Several researchers investigated the effects of pre-harvest plant growth regulator treatments on fruit quality attributes (Demirsoy and Bilgener, 1998, Choi et al., 2004, Horvitz et al., 2003, Zhang and Whiting, 2011). There are several studies in literature about the effects of GA₃ treatments on fruit quality parameters of sweet cherry (Özkaya et al., 2006, Kappel and MacDonald, 2002, Cline and Trought, 2007, Canli and Orhan, 2009, Yildirim and Koyuncu, 2010).

In recent years, antioxidant capacity of the nutrients has also been considered for healthy nutrition. Fruits with phenols and anthocyanin are considered as a natural antioxidant source. Sweet cherry is quite rich in these substances and compounds (Kim et al., 2005, Serrano et al., 2005). Phenols and anthocyanin of sweet cherry play a significant role in antioxidant capacity of the fruits (Usenik et al., 2008, Jakobek et al., 2009). The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of pre-harvest GA₃ treatments on bioactive compounds of sweet cherry fruits.

Section snippets

Plant materials

Four-year old 0900 Ziraat, Sweetheart and Regina sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L.) grafted on Maxma 14 (Prunus mahaleb × Prunus avium) rootstocks were used in this study. Experiments were conducted in a sweet cherry orchard located in Agricultural Research and Implementations Center of Gaziosmanpaşa University Agricultural Faculty (40°20′02.19′′N latitude, 36°28′30.11′′E longitude and 623 m altitude). Trees were planted in an east-west direction with 5.0 m row spacing and 3.0 on-row tree

Results and discussion

Experiments were conducted with three different sweet cherry cultivars. Since the results obtained from the cultivars were quite similar with each other, the results for Regina and Sweetheart cultivars were provided as Supplementary material.

GA₃ treatments did not have significant effects on geometric mean diameter of 0900 Ziraat sweet cherry (Table 1). In previous studies with sweet cherries, the most significant effect of GA₃ treatments was reported as the increased fruit sizes (Cline and

Conclusion

As to conclude, it was observed that GA₃ treatments retarded fruit ripening and preserved flesh firmness which is a significant quality parameter for sweet cherry. On the other hand, applied GA₃ doses resulted in significant decreases in total phenolics, anthocyanin accumulation and antioxidant capacity of sweet cherry cultivars. In GA₃ treatments to improve fruit quality characteristics of sweet cherry, species-specific doses should be determined together with the effects of treatments on

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgements are extended to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeki GÖKALP (a Certified English Translator and an expert in Engineering) for his technical supports for the presentation of this paper.

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Citation Excerpt :
In 2015, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside content was indeed highest for the GA3 treatment (Table S1). However, GA3 is also linked to decreasing anthocyanin content in sweet cherry as it was reported to retard ripening (Zeman et al., 2013; Ozkan et al., 2016). Martinez et al. (1996) reported that GA3 application lowers PAL activity in strawberry, thereby decreasing anthocyanin synthesis.
Effects of repeated sprayings expected to affect phenolic, anthocyanin, carotenoid and ascorbic acid content in ‘Skeena’ and ‘Sweetheart’ cherries were observed during two years (without addition of calcium (Ca) in 2015, and with Ca in 2016). A shift in phytonutrients, with higher phenolic and carotenoid- and lower ascorbic acid content was observed when comparing Ca and the control (water) treatments in 2016 compared to 2015. Higher radiation, higher temperatures and less precipitation in 2015 compared to 2016 likely contributed to this shift.
Gibberellic acid (GA₃), abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA) and glycine betaine (GB) sprays increased anthocyanin content in 2015 and for ‘Skeena’ cherries in 2016. GA₃ and GB induced lower carotenoid content for ‘Skeena’- in 2015 and for ‘Sweetheart’ cherries in 2016 and lowered ascorbic acid content for ‘Sweetheart’ cherries. GA₃ sprays induced the largest changes, increasing anthocyanin- (42 %), lowering carotenoid (19 %) and ascorbic acid content (53 %) compared to control. Ascophyllum nodosum, one of the novel spray treatments next to GB, appears to induce an effect opposite to GB, increasing carotenoid and ascorbic acid, but lowering phenolic content. Whether these phytonutrient shifts, due to climate conditions or to spray treatments, are beneficial to consumer health is unclear.

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Pre-harvest gibberellic acid (GA3) treatments play an important role on bioactive compounds and fruit quality of sweet cherry cultivars

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Plant materials

Results and discussion

Conclusion

Acknowledgement

Sci. Hortic.

Food Chem.

Food Chem.

Sci. Hortic.

The ripening and fruit quality of ‘Monroe’ peaches in response to pre-harvest application gibberellic acid

Akdeniz Univ. J. Fac. Agric.

Effects of pre-harvest gibberellic acid applications on fruit quality of ‘0900 Ziraat’ sweet cherry

Hortic. Technol.

Benzyladenine and gibberellin applications improve fruit weight and delay maturity of sweet cherry

Erwerbs Ob

Fruit growth, firmness and cell wall hydrolytic enzyme activity during development of sweet cherry fruit treated with gibberellic acid (GA3)

J. Hortic. Sci. Biotechnol.

Effect of gibberellic acid during development of sweet cherry fruit: physiological and molecular changes

Acta Hortic.

Effect of gibberellic acid on fruit cracking and quality of Bing and Sam sweet cherries

Can. J. Plant Sci.

Preharvest spraying with gibberellic acid (GA3) and aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) delays fruit maturity and reduces fruit losses on peaches

Rev. Bras. Frutic.

The effects of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) and gibberellic acid (GA3) on fruit quality of ‘0900 Ziraat’ cv.’ sweet cherry

J. Ege Univ. Fac. Agric.

The effects of preharvest calcium hydroxide applications on cracking and fruit quality in 0900 Ziraat, Lambert and Van sweet cherry varieties

Acta Hortic.

Sensory, nutritive and functional properties of sweet cherry as affected by cultivar and ripening stage

Food Sci. Technol. Int.

Sweet cherry fruit firmness and postharvest quality of late-maturing cultivars are improved with low-rate, single applications of gibberellic acid

HortScience

Spectral characteristics, molar absorptivity and color of pelargonidin derivatives

J. Agric. Food Chem.

Application of gibberellic acid to ‘Sweetheart’ sweet cherries: effects on fruit quality at harvest and during cold storage

Acta Hortic.

Pre-harvest gibberellic acid (GA₃) treatments play an important role on bioactive compounds and fruit quality of sweet cherry cultivars

Fruit growth, firmness and cell wall hydrolytic enzyme activity during development of sweet cherry fruit treated with gibberellic acid (GA₃)

Preharvest spraying with gibberellic acid (GA₃) and aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) delays fruit maturity and reduces fruit losses on peaches

The effects of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) and gibberellic acid (GA₃) on fruit quality of ‘0900 Ziraat’ cv.’ sweet cherry