Moderate Salinity Stress Affects Expression of Main Sugar Metabolism and Transport Genes and Soluble Carbohydrate Content in Ripe Fig Fruits (Ficus carica L. cv. Dottato)

Fig trees (Ficus carica L.) are commonly grown in the Mediterranean area, where salinity is an increasing problem coastal areas. Young, fruiting plants of cv. Dottato were subjected to moderate salt stress (100 mM NaCl added irrigation water) for 48 days before fruit sampling. To clarify effect stress, we investigated changes transcription main sugar metabolism-related genes involved synthesis, accumulation and transport soluble carbohydrates ripe fruits by quantitative real-time PCR as well content sugars 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A general increase transcript levels was observed. Alkaline-neutral Acid Invertases transcripts, related synthesis glucose fructose, up-regulated NaCl-stressed without a change D-glucose D-fructose. The increases sucrose D-sorbitol contents likely result up-regulation Sucrose-Synthase- Sorbitol-Dehydrogenase-encoding genes.