International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Sep 2024)

Enhancement of Apple Stress Resistance via Proline Elevation by Sugar Substitutes

  • Zi-Quan Feng,
  • Tong Li,
  • Xin-Yi Li,
  • Long-Xin Luo,
  • Zhi Li,
  • Chun-Ling Liu,
  • Shun-Feng Ge,
  • Zhan-Ling Zhu,
  • Yuan-Yuan Li,
  • Han Jiang,
  • Yuan-Mao Jiang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179548
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 17
p. 9548

Abstract

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Plants encounter numerous adversities during growth, necessitating the identification of common stress activators to bolster their resistance. However, the current understanding of these activators’ mechanisms remains limited. This study identified three anti-stress activators applicable to apple trees, all of which elevate plant proline content to enhance resistance against various adversities. The results showed that the application of these sugar substitutes increased apple proline content by two to three times compared to the untreated group. Even at a lower concentration, these activators triggered plant stress resistance without compromising apple fruit quality. Therefore, these three sugar substitutes can be exogenously sprayed on apple trees to augment proline content and fortify stress resistance. Given their effectiveness and low production cost, these activators possess significant application value. Since they have been widely used in the food industry, they hold potential for broader application in plants, fostering apple industry development.

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