ABSTRACT
Nitric oxide(NO) is essential for reducing post-harvest product senescence and storage losses. NO may slow down the senescence of agricultural products and improve their quality, suggestive of its great potential in the postharvest preservation of agricultural products. The development of NO as a post-harvest preservative is supported by the investigation of its role and mechanism in agricultural product ageing. In this review, the mechanisms of NO in the post-harvest senescence of agricultural products were explored. NO is produced mainly via the nitrate reductase(NR) and NO synthase-like(NOS) pathways. Usually, NO donors include sodium nitroprusside (SNP), S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP), S-nitrosoglutathione(GSNO) and NO gas fumigation. NO delays agricultural product senescence by regulating ROS metabolism, enhancing antioxidant activity, reducing respiration, activating cell wall metabolism, inhibiting ethylene synthesis, and promoting energy metabolism. Melatonin(MT), ethylene(ETH), hydrogen gas(H