Dandan  Huang¹ , Haimei  Wang^1,2

1 Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China
2 Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Molecular Plant Breeding, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 3   doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0019
Received: 11 May, 2025    Accepted: 13 Jun., 2025    Published: 21 Jun., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Huang D.D., and Wang H.M., 2025, Enhancing postharvest characteristics in durian via genome editing: regulation of pericarp softening and shelf-life extension, Molecular Plant Breeding, 16(3): 191-201 (doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0019)

This study explored the use of CRISPR-mediated gene editing to reduce the softening rate of durian peel and delay senescence, focusing on key targets such as ethylene synthesis pathways (such as ACS2 and ACO1), cell wall degradation enzymes (such as PG, PME, EXP), peel cuticle formation (CER1) and antioxidant pathways (such as SOD, CAT, AOX). Strategies for applying genome editing to durian improvement were proposed, including phenotypic screening of edited lines and mechanistic analysis of how editing regulates the softening process at the molecular level. The potential advantages of breeding harder and more storable durian varieties were also discussed, including reducing postharvest losses, expanding market channels and improving economic benefits. At the same time, the challenges and risks that may be faced in this process were analyzed, such as off-target effects, regulatory barriers and the need to maintain the flavor quality of the fruit. Combined with the molecular biology research results of durian and the successful experience of gene editing in other fruit trees, genome editing technology is expected to become an important tool for improving the postharvest characteristics of durian, which can change the supply chain of durian, extend shelf life and maintain quality, thus benefiting growers, distributors and consumers.

Durian; Postharvest; Fruit Softening; Shelf Life; Genome editing