Abstract

Fruit quality is determined by multiple metabolites, which are mainly affected by plant hormones. In this study, two genes, ethylene-related geneSlACO1and gibberellin-related geneSlGARP, were overexpressed (OE) and knocked down through RNAi in tomato, and the profiles of carotenoids, flavonoids, volatiles, and hormones were detected in the leaves and fruit. The color index significantly increased inSlACO1-OE fruit but significantly decreased in theSlACO1-RNAi line. Similarly, total carotenoids, volatiles, salicylic acid, and ethylene significantly increased in the fruits ofSlACO1-OE andSlGARP-OE, whereas ABA decreased significantly. Some compounds, such as lycopene, 3-hexenal, andd-limonene, significantly increased in the fruit ofSlACO1-OE but decreased in theSlACO1-RNAi line, indicating thatSlACO1might play an important role in the accumulation of these compounds. The functional characterization of SlACO1 and SlGARP would facilitate the improvement in tomato fruit quality.