Pre-harvest methyl jasmonate treatments delayed ripening and improved quality of sweet cherry fruits

The effects of pre-harvest methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatments on fruit quality attributes and bioactive compounds of sweet cherry fruits (Prunus avium L. cvs. 0900 Ziraat, Regina and Sweetheart) harvested at optimal and late harvest dates were investigated in this study. Measurements revealed that MeJA treatments were quite effective in retention of fruit flesh firmness of all three cultivars. It was observed that harvest could be delayed at least a week with MeJA treatments through maintaining flesh firmness. MeJA treatments slowed down color changes in all three cultivars. MeJA treatments did not have significant effects on fruit mass and geometric mean diameters, but decreased soluble solids content and titratable acidity of the fruits. In all three cultivars, total phenolics, antioxidant capacity and total monomeric anthocyanin values decreased with MeJA treatments. Delayed harvests increased bioactive contents of both the control and MeJA-treated fruits.