Effect of preharvest methyl jasmonate treatment on the minerals profile, metabolites, and antioxidant activities of ponytail and cherry radish cultivars

This study investigated the effect of 1.0 mM preharvest methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment on ‘Jin-Mi’ ponytail radish and cherry radish cultivars (‘Akamaru-Hatsuga’, ‘Cherry-One’, and ‘OP 20′). The MeJA was applied via root drenching and leaf spraying three days before harvest, and the research assessed parameters such as dry matter, minerals, amino acids, various secondary metabolites, and antioxidant activities in four assays. The findings indicated that MeJA enhanced all cultivars’ dry weight, total amino acids, essential amino acids, Chlorophylls, flavonoids, and glucosinolates. However, MeJA led to reduced vitamin C and total phenolics in three cultivars, except for ‘Jin-Mi’, where antioxidant activities increased with total phenolics. Cultivar-specific responses underscore the importance of selecting cultivars based on consumer preferences for desired functional compounds. The study suggests that a single preharvest MeJA treatment may not guarantee consistently higher secondary metabolite content, promoting further investigation into multiple MeJA treatments from early plant development.