Current Status and Trends of Inducers and Induced‐Resistance Strategies in Kiwifruit Preservation

Kiwifruit is favored by consumers for its exceptional nutrients and appealing flavor, which lures its steady increase in global cultivation areas and yields. Kiwifruit, however, encounters numerous postharvest preservation challenges, resulting in economic losses. Resistance induction strategies are emerging as a promising means for sustaining postharvest quality of kiwifruit. This review summarizes various factors affecting postharvest kiwifruit quality, such as mechanical damage, intrinsic senescence, chilling injury, and pathogen infection. A comprehensive overview of recent studies on resistance induction strategies for maintaining postharvest kiwifruit quality is presented, including physical, chemical, microbial, and integrated treatments. It is discussed that the application of exogenous inducers can enhance kiwifruit resistance, thereby alleviating mechanical damage, delaying intrinsic senescence, mitigating chilling injury, and defending against pathogen infection. The molecular mechanisms underlying resistance induction are also elaborated. Specifically, induced-resistance mechanisms primarily involved the regulation of antioxidant system, reactive oxygen species homeostasis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signaling pathways, and jasmonic acid pathway. This review also highlights the developmental potential of preharvest applications of resistance inducers in kiwifruit. Shifting the application of resistance inducers to preharvest stage may provide greater potential for effectively mitigating postharvest spoilage of kiwifruit. In conclusion, resistance inducers have become a promising preservation strategy for kiwifruit but still face challenges regarding sustained efficacy, safety regulations, and large-scale commercial implementation.