Peach fruit easily soften and have a short storage time at normal temperature. In this study, peach fruit (Prunus persica sieb et Zucc cv. Yingqing) were picked and stored at 25 and 4°C to investigate the senescence in correlation with Ca2+- ATPase activity of microsomal membrane and lipid peroxidation during ripening and senescence. In comparison with that stored at 25°C, the fruit stored at 4°C exhibited a higher flesh firmness, lower respiration rate, and generated the late bigger peak value of Ca2+-ATPase activity as well as maintained the higher activity of the enzyme. Meanwhile, the lower levels of super oxygen radical (O2·–) production and content of malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of membrane lipid peroxidation were observed. Sodium orthovanadate (SO) and erythrosin B (EB), as Ca2+-ATPase inhibitors, could stimulate the respiration rate. The results suggested that the slower senescence rate of peach fruit was closely related to the higher peak value and longer duration of Ca2+-ATPase activity in microsomal membrane, with the slighter membrane lipid peroxidation and lower O2·– production rate.
The changes in content of Ca2 + and CaM, Ca2 + -ATPase activity and active oxygen metabolism during strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch. cv. Chunxing) fruits maturation and senescence were investigated in this study. The results showed that the soluble Ca2 + content and SOD activity in fruits tended to decline and O2.-production rate to increase, the Ca2+ -ATPase activity peaked at first and then declined during fruits maturation and senescence. There were the highest CaM content at white stage in preharvest fruits and at marked senescence stage in postharvest ones. The above biochemical changes in fruits stored at low temperature (4℃) were slower than those stored at normal temperature(25℃ ). Thus, it indicated that the stimulation of calcium messenger system and accumulation of active oxygen free radical were closely related to fruits maturation and senescence.
GUAN Jun-feng, GAO Min, FAN Xiu-cai, GU Cai-qin, LI Guang-min and ZHANG Ji-shu(Institute of Agro-Physics , Plant Physiology and Biochemistry , Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences ,Shijiazhuang 050051 , P. R . China
