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Horticulturae
Volume 12
Issue 1
10.3390/horticulturae12010052
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Synergistic Postharvest Efficacy of Methyl Salicylate, Methyl Jasmonate, and Sodium Nitroprusside in Enhancing Chilling Tolerance of Tomato Fruit

by
Pedro Antonio Padilla-González
1,
Mihaela Iasmina Madalina Ilea
1,
Fabián Guillén
1,
Daniel Valero
1,
María Serrano
2,
María Emma García-Pastor
2,* and
Huertas María Díaz-Mula
2,*
1
Department of Agri-Food Technology, Institute for Agri-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation (CIAGRO), University Miguel Hernández, Ctra. Beniel km. 3.2, Orihuela, 03312 Alicante, Spain
2
Department of Applied Biology, Institute for Agri-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation (CIAGRO), University Miguel Hernández, Ctra. Beniel km. 3.2, Orihuela, 03312 Alicante, Spain
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2026, 12(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010052
Submission received: 1 December 2025 / Revised: 24 December 2025 / Accepted: 30 December 2025 / Published: 31 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Postharvest and Processing Technologies of Horticultural Crops: New Perspectives and Applications)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Chilling injury (CI) is a major constraint to the postharvest shelf-life of tomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum L.), leading to severe quality deterioration, which is closely linked to cell membrane damage. While individual postharvest treatments with the elicitors, such as methyl salicylate (MeSA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP), alleviate cold stress, their synergistic potential in combination has not been systematically explored. The present study evaluated the postharvest efficacy of 1 mM MeSA, MeJA, SNP, and their combinations (MeSA + MeJA, MeSA + SNP, MeJA + SNP) on ‘Vivalto RZ’ tomato fruits stored for 20 days at 2 °C, followed by a 2-day shelf-life period at 20 °C. All treatments effectively mitigated quality loss and CI incidence compared to the control. Notably, the MeSA + SNP and MeJA + SNP combinations demonstrated the highest efficacy, resulting in the lowest CI indices (1.2–1.4 vs. 3.4 in control) and the best preservation of firmness and titratable acidity. This enhanced tolerance was correlated with improved membrane integrity (lower malondialdehyde content and ion leakage) and the strongest upregulation of the antioxidant system, specifically achieving the highest ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity. The combined application of MeSA or MeJA with SNP exerts a synergistic effect that provides superior chilling tolerance, representing a highly effective and commercially viable strategy to extend the postharvest shelf-life of tomato fruit.
Keywords: Solanum lycopersicum L.; methyl salicylate; methyl jasmonate; sodium nitroprusside; cold resistance; ion leakage; malondialdehyde; ascorbate peroxidase Solanum lycopersicum L.; methyl salicylate; methyl jasmonate; sodium nitroprusside; cold resistance; ion leakage; malondialdehyde; ascorbate peroxidase

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MDPI and ACS Style

Padilla-González, P.A.; Ilea, M.I.M.; Guillén, F.; Valero, D.; Serrano, M.; García-Pastor, M.E.; Díaz-Mula, H.M. Synergistic Postharvest Efficacy of Methyl Salicylate, Methyl Jasmonate, and Sodium Nitroprusside in Enhancing Chilling Tolerance of Tomato Fruit. Horticulturae 2026, 12, 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010052

AMA Style

Padilla-González PA, Ilea MIM, Guillén F, Valero D, Serrano M, García-Pastor ME, Díaz-Mula HM. Synergistic Postharvest Efficacy of Methyl Salicylate, Methyl Jasmonate, and Sodium Nitroprusside in Enhancing Chilling Tolerance of Tomato Fruit. Horticulturae. 2026; 12(1):52. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010052

Chicago/Turabian Style

Padilla-González, Pedro Antonio, Mihaela Iasmina Madalina Ilea, Fabián Guillén, Daniel Valero, María Serrano, María Emma García-Pastor, and Huertas María Díaz-Mula. 2026. "Synergistic Postharvest Efficacy of Methyl Salicylate, Methyl Jasmonate, and Sodium Nitroprusside in Enhancing Chilling Tolerance of Tomato Fruit" Horticulturae 12, no. 1: 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010052

APA Style

Padilla-González, P. A., Ilea, M. I. M., Guillén, F., Valero, D., Serrano, M., García-Pastor, M. E., & Díaz-Mula, H. M. (2026). Synergistic Postharvest Efficacy of Methyl Salicylate, Methyl Jasmonate, and Sodium Nitroprusside in Enhancing Chilling Tolerance of Tomato Fruit. Horticulturae, 12(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010052

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