Effects of exogenous KT and BA on fruit quality in strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Due to developing production methods and increasing consumption levels, improvement of fruit quality has become a focus of research. Cytokinins are important hormones that affect fruit quality. In this study, exogenous KT (Kinetin) and BA (6-Benzylaminopurine) were applied 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 days after pollination to study the effect of cytokinins on the quality of strawberry (Fragaria vesca) fruit. The results showed that exogenous KT and BA significantly increased the weight and soluble sugar content of strawberry fruit at late stages of fruit development (27 and 31 DAP). KT and BA treatments up-regulated the expression levels of FvePAL6, FveCHS, FveMYB1, and FveMYB10 at 31 DAP, thus increasing the anthocyanin content. At the red fruit stage, the anthocyanin content of fruits treated with KT and BA were 1.59 and 1.45 times, respectively, higher than that of the control. KT and BA elevated the levels of antioxidants such as ascorbic acid and total phenolics. Also, KT and BA increased the content of myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol. In addition, KT and BA reduced the relative contents of several aromatic substances. Our results indicate that KT and BA treatments had a significant effect on the improvement of strawberry fruit quality.