Abstract: Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is a growth regulator ubiquitously found in plants, which has a wide range of physiological functions. MeJA can significantly induce disease resistance, improve chilling tolerance, maintain the postharvest quality and prolong the storage period of fruits and vegetables. The mechanism of action of MeJA in improving the postharvest quality of fruits and vegetables mainly include inducing gene expression, increasing the antioxidant and disease resistance-related enzyme activities, promoting the accumulation of disease resistant-related substances, and improving energy metabolism. In this article, the structure and physicochemical properties of MeJA are described and the current status of the application of MeJA to postharvest fruits and vegetables as well as its mechanism of action and application modes (alone or in combination with other treatments) is reviewed. In addition, future research and application prospects are also discussed. We expect that this review can provide valuable information for further studies on the application of MeJA in postharvest fruits and vegetables.

Key words: methyl jasmonate, fruits and vegetables, postharvest, mechanism