Plant growth regulators and postharvest preservation in tropical fruits

Tropical fruit crops have major economic, social, and nutritional importance, although their high perishability remains one of the main challenges throughout the supply chain. Accelerated metabolism and sensitivity to ethylene lead to significant losses during storage, transportation, and commercialization.

In this context, plant growth regulators (PGRs) have gained increasing attention not only for their role in field agronomic management but also for their potential to modulate postharvest quality attributes. This review critically evaluates whether plant growth regulators applied during cultivation influence postharvest performance in tropical fruits, highlighting the main mechanisms involved, possible interactions between regulators and other molecules, and current gaps in scientific literature.

The review indicates that field-applied plant growth regulators have strong potential to improve fruit development, delay ripening, enhance physicochemical characteristics, and reduce the incidence of physiological disorders. However, most available studies focus evaluations only at harvest time, without monitoring PGR effects throughout storage, transportation, and commercialization stages.

These methodological limitations demonstrate the need for more integrated and long-term studies capable of clarifying the real impact of plant growth regulators on the postharvest preservation of tropical fruits. In addition, there is still limited information regarding potential synergies between PGRs and other preservation technologies, as well as uncertainty surrounding the exact origin of the observed effects.

The review notes that it remains unclear whether the reported results derive from the direct residual action of regulators or from indirect effects linked to physiological and morphological changes in the plant, such as improved root development or nutritional modifications that later influence fruit quality. These aspects represent relevant and still underexplored opportunities for future research.

Source

Teixeira, E. C., Pereira, L. F., Oliveira, L. S., Santos, C. E. M., Matsumoto, S. N., Gonzatto, M. P., Rocha, A., & Lima, J. S. (2026). Plant Growth Regulators Applied During Cultivation and Their Impacts on the Postharvest Quality of Tropical Fruit Crops: A Review. Wiley Online Library.