postharvest-quality
Postharvest quality refers to the study of biological and biochemical processes that affect the condition, nutritional value, and shelf life of plant products after they have been harvested. Understanding these processes is critical in plant science because senescence, ripening, and stress responses continue actively after harvest, influencing texture, flavor, color, and disease susceptibility. Research in this area aims to identify genetic, physiological, and environmental factors that can be manipulated to extend freshness and reduce losses in the food supply chain.
PubMed · 2026-02-17
When tomatoes ripen, they become tastier and more nutritious — but also far more vulnerable to mold and fungal rot. Scientists have mapped the hormonal and genetic systems behind this trade-off, pointing toward ways to keep tomatoes disease-resistant longer without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.
Ethylene is the master hormone driving tomato ripening, but it interacts with at least five other hormones (including jasmonic acid and salicylic acid) that also regulate disease defense, making ripening and immunity inseparable.
Three key transcription factors — MADS-RIN, NAC-NOR, and SBP-CNR — simultaneously control ripening progression and increase susceptibility to necrotrophic fungi such as Botrytis cinerea.
Epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs act as additional layers of control that link ripening timing to immune response, offering new targets for crop improvement without direct gene editing.
