IMPACTS OF ABIOTIC STRESSES ON FRUIT METABOLIC AND MOLECULAR READJUSTMENTS FOLLOWING PRE- AND POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS

Nowadays, agriculture and food safety are threatened by anthropogenic global warming, agricultural and industrial production, and the increasing number of the world population. A lot of effort is being done in order to discovering genes that confer tolerance to abiotic stress. However, these studies have also been confronted with the fact that, on some instances, stress can bring benefits. In the present work, we focused on studying some of these benefits that arise from controlled stress application. In the first part, a pre-harvest treatment consisting of dry yeast extracts was performed in a Sauvignon Blanc (Vitis vinifera L.) vineyard and their effects on aroma precursors pathways were evaluated. The second part consisted of a post-harvest methodology, the storage of Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples (Malus domestica Borkh) in extreme low oxygen. The aim of this project was to understand the molecular responses of both grapes and apples subject to the above-mentioned stressful treatments. In this project, we identified molecular mechanisms that explain how controlled stressful conditions used both during pre- and post-harvest may improve quality and storage of fruits. The combination omics studies was a valuable instrument used to understand the metabolism of grapes and apples and how they can be guided towards positive changes at several points of their production and storage. These discoveries will posteriorly allow to improve the fruits into becoming more resilient to environmental stressful conditions. Moreover, these omics offer a way to understand and provide a scientific background as to how the metabolic processes of fruits can be improved in a controlled and precise mode, in order to better handle stress and preserve quality for fresh consumption or transformation.