Girdling stimulates anthocyanin accumulation and promotes sugar, organic acid, amino acid level and antioxidant activity in red plum: An overview of skin and pulp metabolomics

Girdling is a widespread agronomic technique to increase the fruit quality characteristics (e.g. size, solid soluble content [SSC] and colour). However, information on metabolic changes related this practice still remains unclear fragmentary. Moreover, girdling duration application time may greatly affect plant/fruit responses producing sometimes counterproductive results. Fruit quality, metabolomic antioxidant analyses were conducted characterise effects of two different dates (4- 2-weeks before harvest, 4 W 2 W, respectively) in skin pulp red-fleshed plum (Prunus cerasifera var. pissardii). Overall, metabolism was altered both by inducing accumulation sugars (sucrose trehalose), sugar alcohols (inositol xylitol), organic acids (especially some TCA cycle intermediates such as ?-ketoglutaric, citric, isocitric, fumaric malic acid), amino (ß-alanine L-proline), anthocyanins other phenols. In only showed major significant differences compared control increasing (size, SSC, dry matter red colour) showing greater with respect controls. Furthermore, total activity also increased treatment W. This approach could be used P. plums well species order ensure fruits production uniform colouration higher bioactive compounds.