Effect of Foliar Application of Calcium, Silica-Coated Calcium, and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Postharvest Quality and ACS Gene Expression in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Mirzaei-Fard, Zohre; Raji, Mohammad Reza; Sohrabi, Seyed Sajad; Abolghasemi, Reza; Ehtesham Nia, Abdullah

doi:10.22034/pgr.2026.2094406.1040

Effect of Foliar Application of Calcium, Silica-Coated Calcium, and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Postharvest Quality and ACS Gene Expression in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Zohre Mirzaei-Fard ¹

Mohammad Reza Raji ¹

Seyed Sajad Sohrabi ² ^¶

Reza Abolghasemi ¹

Abdullah Ehtesham Nia ¹

¹ Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

² Department of Plant Production and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

10.22034/pgr.2026.2094406.1040

Abstract

Maintaining cucumber quality during storage is difficult due to rapid postharvest deterioration, which is driven by high rates of transpiration, respiration, and senescence. In the present study, the effects of foliar application of calcium nanoparticles, silica-coated calcium nanoparticles, and iron oxide nanoparticles on postharvest quality attributes and the relative expression of the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS) gene were evaluated in cucumber cv. Seba. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with a factorial layout, using three replications. The first factor consisted of seven nanoparticle treatments, including the control (distilled water), calcium nanoparticles at 20 and 40 mg L^-1, silica-coated calcium nanoparticles at 20 and 40 mg L^-1, and iron oxide nanoparticles at 10 and 20 mg L^-1; the second factor included three storage periods (0, 8, and 16 days). After harvest, fruits were stored at 4°C and 85–90% relative humidity, and then parameters including weight loss, juice pH, total soluble solids (TSS: the total concentration of dissolved non-water solutes in the fruit juice), electrolyte leakage, vitamin C content, mineral concentrations (calcium and potassium), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities, and relative expression of the ACS gene were measured using qRT-PCR. The results showed that with increasing storage time, weight loss, pH, TSS, electrolyte leakage, and PPO activity increased significantly, whereas vitamin C content, POD activity, calcium and potassium concentrations, and ACS expression showed a significant decreasing trend. However, nanoparticle application, particularly iron oxide nanoparticles at 20 mg L^-1and silica-coated calcium nanoparticles at 40 mg L^-1, improved postharvest quality attributes; the lowest weight loss and better pH retention were observed in the iron oxide 20 mg L^-1 treatment, while the lowest electrolyte leakage was recorded in iron oxide at 10 and 20 mg L^-1 and silica-coated calcium nanoparticles at 40 mg L^-1, which were placed in the same statistical group. In addition, reduced PPO activity, greater retention of vitamin C and mineral nutrients, and lower ACS expression were observed in some nanoparticle treatments. Overall, the findings indicated that the application of mineral nanoparticles, especially iron oxide nanoparticles at 20 mg L^-1 and silica-coated calcium nanoparticles at 40 mg L^-1, can be considered an effective strategy for maintaining quality and extending the postharvest life of cucumber fruits.

Keywords

Ethylene

Antioxidant enzymes

Shelf life

Electrolyte leakage

qRT-PCR

Subjects

Plant Genetics

Aghdam, M.S., Hassanpouraghdam, M.B., Paliyath, G. and Farmani, B. (2012). The language of calcium in postharvest life of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Scientia Horticulturae, 144: 102-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2012.07.007

Alvaro, J.E., Moreno, S., Dianez, F., Santos, M., Carrasco, G. and Urrestarazu, M. (2009). Effects of peracetic acid disinfectant on the postharvest of some fresh vegetables. Journal of Food Engineering, 95(1): 11-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2009.05.003

Ashraf, M.A., Khan, A.S., Azam, M., Ayyub, S., Kaleem, M.M., Nawaz, S., Abubakar, M., Khalid, B., Riaz, T., Asim, M., Ahmed, M.M. and Ateeq, M. (2025). Innovative technologies in postharvest management of fruits and vegetables: a review. European Food Research and Technology, 251(11): 3445-3463. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-025-04861-4

Azizollahi, F. and Mousavi, M. (2025). From cellular preparedness to intelligent response: molecular mechanisms underlying the differential tolerance of date palm cultivars to leaf drying disorder. Plant Genetic Research, 12(2): 89–100 (In Persian). https://doi.org/10.22034/pgr.2025.2070113.1015

Chance, B. and Maehly, A.C. (1955). [136] Assay of catalases and peroxidases. (Chance and Maehly). Methods in Enzymology, 2(C): 764-775. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0076-6879(55)02300-8

Chen, D., Liu, L., Gao, Z., Zhao, J., Yang, Y. and Shen, Z. (2025). Preservation of Fruit Quality at Postharvest Through Plant-Based Extracts and Elicitors. Horticulturae, 11(10): 1186. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11101186

Corrêa, C.V., de Sousa Gouveia, A.M., Martins, B.N.M., Lanna, N.D.B.L., Tavares, A.E.B., Mendonça, V.Z., Jorge, L.G., Inácio Cardoso, A.I. and Evangelista, R.M. (2018). Effect of top-dressed potassium fertilization on the yield and quality of cucumber. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 41(10): 1345-1350. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2018.1447580

Das, S., Chatterjee, A. and Pal, T.K. (2022). Comparative studies on physicochemical and nutritional values of organically and conventionally grown Cucumis sativus stored at different temperatures in different household packaging. Organic Agriculture, 12(4): 563-579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-022-00409-y

Davey, M.W., Montagu, M.V., Inzé, D., Sanmartin, M., Kanellis, A., Smirnoff, N., Benzie, I.J.J., Strain, J.J., Favell, D. and Fletcher, J. (2000). Plant L-ascorbic acid: chemistry, function, metabolism, bioavailability and effects of processing. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 80(7): 825-860. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(20000515)80:7<825:AID-JSFA598>3.0.CO;2-6

Dorling, S.J. and McManus, M.T. (2012). The Fate of ACC in Higher Plants. In The Plant Hormone Ethylene (Vol. 44, pp. 83-115). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118223086.ch4

Gebretsadik, K., Qiu, X., Dong, S., Miao, H. and Bo, K. (2021). Molecular research progress and improvement approach of fruit quality traits in cucumber. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 134(11): 3535-3552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-021-03895-y

Gill, S.S. and Tuteja, N. (2010). Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant machinery in abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 48(12): 909-930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2010.08.016

Habibi, F., Boakye, D.A., Chang, Y., Casorzo, G., Hallman, L.M., Madison, M., Clavijo-Herrera, J., Sarkhosh, A. and Liu, T. (2024). Molecular mechanisms underlying postharvest physiology and metabolism of fruit and vegetables through multi-omics technologies. Scientia Horticulturae, 324: 112562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2023.112562

Hepler, P.K. (2005). Calcium: A Central Regulator of Plant Growth and Development. The Plant Cell, 17(8): 2142-2155. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.105.032508

Houben, M. and Van de Poel, B. (2019). 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO): The enzyme that makes the plant hormone ethylene. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10: 695. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00695

Hurr, B.M., Huber, D.J., Vallejos, C.E. and Talcott, S.T. (2009). Developmentally dependent responses of detached cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit to exogenous ethylene. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 52(2): 207-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2008.12.006

Imahori, Y. (2012). Postharvest stress treatments in fruits and vegetables. In Abiotic Stress Responses in Plants: Metabolism, Productivity and Sustainability (pp. 347-358). https://doi.org/10.1007/9781461406341_18

Jaime-Guerrero, M., Álvarez-Herrera, J.G. and Fischer, G. (2024). Effect of calcium on fruit quality: A review. Agronomia Colombiana, 42(1): 1-42. https://doi.org/10.15446/agron.colomb.v42n1.112026

Jama, S.O., Lufu, R., Opara, U.L., Crouch, E. and Tsige, A.A. (2026). Edible Coatings for Fresh Fruits: Functional Roles, Optimization Strategies, and Analytical Perspectives. Plants, 15(1): 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010132

Javid, H., Fatima, U., Rukhsar, A., Hussain, S., Bibi, S., Bodlah, M.A., Shahzad, H.H., Dilshad, M., Waqas, M. and Sharif, A. (2024). Phytochemical, nutritional and medicinal profile of Cucumis sativus L. (Cucumber). Food Science and Engineering, 5(2): 358-377. https://doi.org/10.37256/fse.5220244795

Kathayat, K., Rawat, M., Kandpal, G., Pandey, G., Chauhan, P. and Tiwari, R. (2018). Genetic variability in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.): A review. Plant Archives, 18(2): 1223-1228.

Kaur, M. and Sharma, P. (2022). Recent advances in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 97(1): 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2021.1945956

Latimer, G.W. (2023). Official methods of analysis of AOAC INTERNATIONAL: 3-volume set. Oxford University Press.

Livak, K.J. and Schmittgen, T.D. (2001). Analysis of Relative Gene Expression Data Using Real-Time Quantitative PCR and the 2−ΔΔCT Method. methods, 25(4): 402-408. https://doi.org/10.1006/meth.2001.1262

Lurie, S. and Watkins, C.B. (2012). Superficial scald, its etiology and control. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 65: 44-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2011.11.001

Mehravi, S., Hanifei, M., Khodadadi, M., Gholizadeh, A. and Sohrabi, S.S. (2023). Evaluation of relationships between traits of anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) genotypes in response to drought stress using the structural equation modeling and biplot method. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 45(1): 10.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-022-03491-7

Mirzaei Fard, Z. (2024). Investigating the effect of calcium oxide nanoparticles and calcium nanoparticles coated with silica, amine and iron oxide on some morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics in the growth stages and post- harvesting of Saba variety cucumber fruit. M.Sc., Thesis. Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran (In Persian).

Moore, B.M. and Flurkey, W. (1990). Sodium dodecyl sulfate activation of a plant polyphenoloxidase. Effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate on enzymatic and physical characteristics of purified broad bean polyphenoloxidase. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 265(9): 4982-4988. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9258(19)34072-4

Ngubane, S., Adeyemi, J.O., Roy, S. and Fawole, O.A. (2026). Nanoparticle-Based Techniques for Preserving Fruit and Vegetables Postharvest Quality: Mechanism and Efficacy in Food Packaging Technology. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 19(3): 110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-025-04185-x

Pattyn, J., Vaughan-Hirsch, J. and Van de Poel, B. (2021). The regulation of ethylene biosynthesis: a complex multilevel control circuitry. New Phytologist, 229(2): 770-782. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16873

Queiroz, C., Mendes Lopes, M.L., Fialho, E. and Valente-Mesquita, V.L. (2008). Polyphenol Oxidase: Characteristics and Mechanisms of Browning Control. Food Reviews International, 24(4): 361-375. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559120802089332

Raz Magid, A., Sela, N., Raphael, G., Leibman, D., Dombrovsky, A. and Ziv, C. (2026). Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit deterioration in cold storage is aggravated by cucumber green mottle mosaic virus infection. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 231: 113829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.113829

Saeidi, S., Ismaili, A. and Sohrabi, S.S. (2025). Identification, functional prediction, andexpression analysis of long non-coding RNAs in lentil (Lens culinaris L.) under salt stress. Plant Genetic Research, 12(2): 55–74 (In Persian). https://doi.org/10.22034/pgr.2025.2081840.1027

Saqib, S., Zaman, W., Ayaz, A., Habib, S., Bahadur, S., Hussain, S., Muhammad, S. and Ullah, F. (2020). Postharvest disease inhibition in fruit by synthesis and characterization of chitosan iron oxide nanoparticles. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, 28: 101729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcab.2020.101729

Seifollahi, S., Behtash, F., Seyed Hajizadeh, H. and Molaali Abasiyan, S. (2026). The effect of zinc and manganese application on the yield and micronutrient elements in leaf and fruit of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Journal of Plant Process and FunctionIranin Society Of Plant Physiology, 15(71): 117 (In Persian). https://doi.org/10.22034/15.71.117

Shan, Y., Li, T., Qu, H., Duan, X., Farag, M.A., Xiao, J., Gao, H. and Jiang, Y. (2023). Nano-preservation: An emerging postharvest technology for quality maintenance and shelf life extension of fresh fruit and vegetable. Food Frontiers, 4(1): 100-130. https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.201

Sharma, H.K., Kumar, N. and Aaqib Sheikh, M. (2026). Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.). In H.K. Sharma, N. Kumar, and M. Aaqib Sheikh (Eds.), Nutraceutical Values and Processing Techniques of Gourds as Vegetables (pp. 283-319). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-19600-2_10

Shiomi, S., Nakamoto, J.I., Yamamoto, M., Kubo, Y., Nakamura, R. and Inaba, A. (1999). Expression of ACC synthase and ACC oxidase genes in different tissues of immature and mature cucumber fruits. Journal of the Japanese Society for Horticultural Science, 68(4): 830-832.

Smirnoff, N. (2018). Ascorbic acid metabolism and functions: A comparison of plants and mammals. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 122: 116-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.03.033

Sudheer, K. and Indira, V. (2007). Post harvest technology of horticultural crops (Vol. 7). New India Publishing.

Taverniers, I., De Loose, M. and Van Bockstaele, E. (2004). Trends in quality in the analytical laboratory. II. Analytical method validation and quality assurance. TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 23(8): 535-552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2004.04.001

Trivellini, A., Cocetta, G., Francini, A. and Ferrante, A. (2017). Reactive oxygen species production and detoxification during leaf senescence. In Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidant Systems in Plants: Role and Regulation under Abiotic Stress (pp. 115-128). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5254-5_5

Valverde-Miranda, D., Díaz-Pérez, M., Gómez-Galán, M. and Callejón-Ferre, Á.-J. (2021). Total soluble solids and dry matter of cucumber as indicators of shelf life. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 180: 111603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2021.111603

Walker, R.P. and Famiani, F. (2018). Organic Acids in Fruits. In Horticultural Reviews (pp. 371-430). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119431077.ch8

White, P.J. and Broadley, M.R. (2003). Calcium in Plants. Annals of Botany, 92(4): 487-511. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcg164

Xu, J. and Zhang, S. (2014). Ethylene Biosynthesis and Regulation in Plants. In Ethylene in Plants (pp. 1-25). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9484-8_1

Yoruk, R. and Marshall, M.R. (2003). Physicochemical properties and function of plant polyphenol oxidase: a review. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 27(5): 361-422. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4514.2003.tb00289.x

Zhang, M., Ma, M., Lang, H. and Jiang, M. (2025). Research Advances and Perspectives on Early Flowering Traits in Cucumber. Plants, 14(8): 1158. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081158

Zhang, Y., Hou, S., Athanassiou, C.G., Guo, L., Zhao, S., Hu, Q., Ding, C. and Liu, Q. (2025). Regulatory Role and Mechanisms of Reactive Oxygen Species in Grains During Post-Harvest Storage: The Vanguard Sentinel of Quality Deterioration. Food Reviews International, 41(5): 1259-1289. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2024.2430652

Zhang, Y., Wang, H., Chen, H., Liu, R., Chen, H., Fang, X., Xiao, J., Wu, W. and Gao, H. (2024). The crucial evaluation indexes and relative measurement methods of edible value for fresh fruits and vegetables: A review. Future Postharvest and Food, 1(2): 222-236. https://doi.org/10.1002/fpf2.12026

Zhong, Y., Wu, X., Zhang, L., Zhang, Y., Wei, L. and Liu, Y. (2024). The roles of nitric oxide in improving postharvest fruits quality: Crosstalk with phytohormones. Food Chemistry, 455: 139977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139977

Zhu, Y. and Gong, H. (2014). Beneficial effects of silicon on salt and drought tolerance in plants. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 34(2): 455-472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0194-1

Zörb, C., Senbayram, M. and Peiter, E. (2014). Potassium in agriculture – Status and perspectives. Journal of Plant Physiology, 171(9): 656-669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2013.08.008