Favorable effects of the weak ethylene receptor mutation Sletr1-2 on postharvest fruit quality changes in tomatoes

• The Sletr1-2 mutation is potentially useful for maintaining the postharvest quality of tomatoes.
• The rate of water loss was slower in the Sletr1-2 F1 hybrid lines.
• The Sletr1-2 mutation did not change the sugar content.
• The Sletr1-2 mutation induced increases in organic acid contents.
• The amino acid contents varied between the Sletr1-2 F1 hybrid lines.

Tomatoes with a prolonged fruit shelf life and improved postharvest quality would be an attractive commodity for both breeders and consumers. A weak allele of the tomato ethylene receptor mutant Sletr1-2 elicits an extended fruit shelf life without prominent undesirable pleiotropic effects. In this study, we elucidate the influences of the Sletr1-2 mutation on alterations of the postharvest fruit quality of Sletr1-2 F1 hybrid lines from four different pure-line cultivar parents. The changes in the compositions of metabolic compounds, including sugars, organic acids and amino acids, over 30 days of postharvest storage have been evaluated. The Sletr1-2 mutation significantly affected the postharvest fruit quality parameters of the Sletr1-2 F1 hybrid lines in a manner that depended on the pure-line cultivar parental backgrounds. The influence of the Sletr1-2 mutation was detected only in the reductions and/or increases of individual amino acids and increases in the levels of organic acids, i.e., malate and citrate. In contrast, the sugar level was not changed. Moreover, the Sletr1-2 mutation significantly reduced the rate of water loss during postharvest storage. These results indicate that the Sletr1-2 mutation has favorable effects on the postharvest changes of Sletr1-2 F1 hybrid tomatoes that improve both the shelf life and the taste quality.

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