Abstract

Fruits are an important part of a well-balanced diet, providing benefits not only in basic nutrition but also in improving overall human health and well-being. However, climate change is a major challenge for fruit production internationally. Stone fruit ripening is a phenological trait that is affected by climate change. In order to minimize the detrimental effects that climate change may have on stone fruit quality, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms that modulate the ripening process in stone fruits needs to be obtained. Towards this end, we have been studying the transcriptional effects of exogenous application of phytohormones on a climacteric stone fruit (Prunus persica, peach) and a non-climateric stone fruit (Prunus avium, sweet cherry) during fruit ripening. These analyses have revealed conserved cytokinin responsive genes in both of these stone fruits as well as the model plant Arabidopsis. Furthermore, we are exploring the epigenomic-regulation of several of these ripening related genes in these stone fruits. This work has been funded by Conicyt Fondecyt #1171016