Role of Salicylic Acid Application in Production and Postharvest Management of Pears (Pyrus Spp.)

Pears (Pyrus spp.) are important fruit crop in the family Rosaceae. Two main species i.e. European pear (Pyrus communis L.) and Asian pear (P. pyrifolia L) have more commercial importance and widely cultivated in temperate and sub-temperate regions of the world. Pears are grown in India from the warm humid subtropical plains to the cold dry temperate areas and stand second most important temperate fruit crop after apples. The use of growth regulators has become a critical feature of horticultural production technology for the majority of fruit crops including pears. Salicylic acid is a naturally occurring phenolic molecule widely distributed in plant species and it is assumed as growth hormone due to its regulatory role in plant’s physiological processes and plant defense against microbial diseases. In pears, exogenous application of salicylic acid exhibits considerable role in plant’s physiological processes, response to biotic and abiotic stresses, and increasing the plant performance, fruit yield and postharvest management of fruits. Salicylic acid application reduces chilling injury and weight loss of the fruits, minimises postharvest disease and browning, retains fruit firmness and lower down the postharvest quality losses during storage of fruits.