Effect of calcium on relieving berry cracking in grape ( Vitis vinifera L.) ‘Xiangfei’

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 8; p. e9896
• Main Authors: Yu, Jun, Zhu, Mingtao, Bai, Miao, Xu, Yanshuai, Fan, Shaogang, Yang, Guoshun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego PeerJ. Ltd 15.09.2020; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Agricultural Science; Berries; Calcium; Calcium influx; Cell wall; Cell walls; Cultivars; Food quality; Food Science and Technology; Fruit cracking; Fruits; Grapes; Humidity; Irrigation; Mechanical properties; Metabolism; Nutrition; Pectin; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Plant Science; RNA-Sequence; Transcription; Vitis vinifera; China
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9896

Fruit cracking is a physiological disorder in many plant species that leads to severe economic losses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of calcium on fruit cracking and explore the underlying mechanisms. We studied the effect of exogenous calcium on grape berry cracking, calcium absorbance and distribution, and cell wall metabolism in the cracking-susceptible cultivar ‘Xiangfei’. Calcium significantly reduced the frequency of fruit cracking, increased the break force of the berry skin, and stimulated storage of calcium. In addition, calcium increased the content of protopectin and inhibited the increase in content of water-soluble pectin, by regulating the transcription and activities of enzymes associated with cell wall metabolism. Taken together, the results indicated that dipping grape berries in calcium solution is effective in preventing fruit cracking by stimulating calcium uptake, inhibiting cell wall disassembly, and promoting cell wall strengthening.