Abstract
Facility warming can promote fruit ripening of winter jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao, DZ) for pre-marketing. Here, we compared the fruit development- and quality-related parameters of facility cultivated DZ trees grown at maximum temperature of 37 °C, 39.5 °C and 42 °C with and without Piriformospora indica culture filtrate (CF) treatment. Results showed that facility high temperature (HT) promoted DZ fruit enlargement in the early stage, accelerated fruit coloration and softening, and improved most fruit quality-related parameters. However, it decreased the vitamin C (VC) content and antioxidant capacities of DZ fruits, and eventually led to smaller fruits. CF treatment improved the positive effects of HT on DZ fruits and anthocyanins accumulation in fruit peel, and alleviated VC content reduction caused by HT. Our study demonstrated the promoting effects of facility warming and CF on fruit ripening and quality of winter jujube and revealed the underlying physiological mechanism.