Potential Roles of Fatty Acids and Lipids in Postharvest Needle Abscission Physiology

Our understanding of postharvest needle abscission physiology in conifers has greatly improved in the last decade. Abscission is initially triggered by root detachment, which begins a cascade of changes such as decreased water uptake, water potential, and auxins and increased membrane injury, ethylene, abscisic acid, volatile terpenes, and catalytic enzymes. Needle abscission is also affected by environmental factors. For example, a period of cold acclimation generally delays postharvest abscission. The aforementioned pieces of evidence, along with previous studies, strongly points to a role for plant lipids and fatty acids. Studies from other species have pointed out key roles in abscission and stress responses for a variety of phospholipids and galactolipids, which has not been studied in balsam fir. It is imperative to have an understanding of the role of plant lipids and fatty acids to further our overall understanding of the physiological mechanisms of postharvest abscission and needle abscission resistance. This review is an overview of membrane lipids and fatty acids, changes that occur postharvest and the interaction that lipids may have in the phenomenon of postharvest abscission.