Abstract
The sustainable fruit production in temperate and boreal regions is often imperiled by spring frosts. The risk of frost damage and the resulting economic losses have been increasing in the recent years as a result of the global climate change. Among the many approaches in mitigating frost damages, an ethylene-based compound, ethephon has proven to be effective in delaying bloom time in many fruit species and, thereby, avoid frost damage. However, effective concentrations of ethephon are often associated with harmful effects on fruit trees, which largely limit its use. Relatively, limited research attention has been given to understand the mechanisms underlying this ethylene-mediated bloom delay, thus hindering the progress in exploring its potential in frost protection. Recent advances in omics and bioinformatics have facilitated the identification of critical molecular and biochemical pathways that govern the progression of bud dormancy in deciduous woody perennials. In this review, we summarized our current understanding of the function of ethylene and its interaction with other networks in modulating dormancy and blooming in temperate fruit trees. Some possible mechanisms are also proposed that might potentially guide future studies attempting to decipher the dormancy regulation or searching for methods to alleviate frost damages.
Highlights
Fruit production in temperate and boreal regions is often threatened by spring frosts
This review intended to summarize the current knowledge of ethephon-mediated bloom delay in temperate fruit trees and highlight the possible mechanisms by which ethylene interferes with the initiation, maintenance, and release of bud dormancy
As ethylene is at the hub of crossroads to defenseand stress-related signaling pathways, it might be meaningful to examine ethylene in the context of stress responses
Summary
Fruit production in temperate and boreal regions is often threatened by spring frosts. Passive methods are pre-emptive and have relatively long-lasting effects These include breeding and selection of cold-hardy and/or late-bloom varieties, selection of proper plantation site (e.g. to avoid frost pockets), and treatment with plant growth regulators (PGR) to increase freezing tolerance (Durner, 1995; Nzokou and Paligwende, 2008), to extend the duration of bud dormancy (Durner and Gianfagna, 1991; Seeley et al, 1992), or to delay flowering time (Moghadam and Mokhtarian, 2006; Grijalva-Contreras et al, 2011). The consequences of delaying bloom and improving cold hardiness are significant, as lessening the effects of winter injury and spring frost damage can greatly contribute to the increase of crop yields
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