Method and compositions to reduce polygalacturonase expression in plants for increasing storage-life of fruit

摘要

A method for producing a plant with a fruit having increased post-harvest storage life. The method comprises reducing the expression or activity in the plant of a polypeptide with the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 1 (Malua domestica polygalaturonase, MdPG1), or a variant thereof having at least 70% sequence identity. The expression or activity of the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 1 is reduced by a polynucleotide capable of reducing the expression of the polypeptide; in particular the polynucleotide is an RNAi construct. The fruit can be an apple and has at least one of the following characteristics: (a) increased firmness, (b) reduced water loss, (c) reduced cell separation, (d) increased juiciness, (e) increased crispiness, (f) increased waxiness, or (g) reduced susceptibility to necrophytic pathogens during or after post-harvest storage.