Abstract: Since ethylene in the postharvest mi croatmosphere accelerates senesce nce of horticultural crops,the main point to extend shelf lives of those products is to eliminate ethylene action on them.The fresh -keeping techn ologies to control ethylene biosynthesis,to r educe or eliminate ethylene,and to block ethylene action were summarize d.Great progresses have bean also made to con trol ethylene through gene engineering.Researches on cold shock to inhi bit ethylene synthesis and 1-MCPto block ethylene reception were promising for extending the shelf life of crops at am-bient temperature.

Key words: Ethylene , Control , Fresh -keeping , Horticultural crops