Abstract:In this study, the effects of UV-C treatment on mildew, decay, and the expression pattern of cell wall hydrolases and the pathogenesis-related genes of ‘Darselect’ strawberry fruit stored at 20 ℃ were studied. The results indicated that 4.2 kJ/m2 UV-C treatment effectively decreased the mildew and decay of strawberry fruit during storage, and significantly reduced the respiratory rate at the later stages of storage. The results of quantitative PCR analysis showed that UV-C treatment significantly inhibited the expression of three cell wall hydrolase genes, β-glucosidases (FaBG3), β-1, 3-glucanase (FaGlu), and polygalacturonase (FaPG), at the later stages of storage. Moreover, UV-C treatment delayed the expression peak of the polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein gene (FaPGIP) and enhanced the expression levels of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene (FaPAL). These results suggested that UV-C treatment of the strawberry fruit controlled decay by decreasing mildew and by regulating the expression levels of cell wall-hydrolases and the pathogenesis-related genes during storage.
