Exogenous application of RNS for prolonging the shelf-life of horticultural crops

Horticultural crops and their products have many health-promoting merits, thus having been important components in our daily life. However, they are vulnerable to unfavorable environmental conditions. Hence, various measures have been attempted to regulate the quality of horticultural produces and alleviate their loss during postharvest periods. Nitric oxide, a gaseous small molecule, has important regulatory roles in plant development and responses to external factors, thereby having been paid additional attention in its efficacy for application in horticultural crops. This review focuses on the biosynthesis and bioactivity of nitric oxide, further dissects its roles in the responses of horticultural crops to abiotic and biotic factors.