Inhibitory impact of Chlorine dioxide on Potato tuber sprouting via inducing oxidative stress

This study aimed to investigate the performance of ClO2 in suppressing potato tuber sprouting and reveal the corresponding mechanism. During the storage period, we determined the sprout rate and index, monitored tissue structure and evaluated the active oxygen metabolism in the potato bud eyes. The results indicated that ClO2 inhibited the rate and index sprouting. After ClO2 treatment, the activities of key enzymes related to reactive oxygen species production in potato tubers significantly increased, resulting in the accumulation of O2•− and H2O2 in the bud eyes. O2•− and H2O2 was increased by 87.4 % and 65.0 % compared to the control, respectively. Furthermore, our results showed that the ClO2 treatment improved the cell membrane permeability, increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and impaired the cell membrane integrity of potato bud eyes. The cell membrane permeability and MDA level of the ClO2-treated tubers were increased by 45.9 % and 30.2 %, respectively, in comparison to the control. Additionally, ClO2 increased the activities of antioxidative enzymes (CAT and POD) and decreased the activities of enzymes in the AsA-GSH cycle, as well as the levels of AsA and GSH, leading to cellular redox imbalances. We conclude that ClO2 can inhibit the sprouting of postharvest potatoes by modulating active oxygen metabolism.