The cuticle as a key factor in the quality of horticultural crops

In recent years, there has been a major increase in the commercialization of horticultural crops in response to population increase. However, several important factors associated with pre- and post-harvest conditions, including drought stress, pathogen infection, water loss and climate change are limiting the commercialization potential of many horticultural crops, thereby compromising agricultural sustainability. The cuticle, which is composed of cutin and waxes, provides a critical structural barrier between a plant parts and its environment. Cuticle biosynthesis is influenced by many factors during plant development and contributes to the pre- and post-harvest quality of many horticultural crops. However, many aspects of the structure-function relationships of many aspects of the plant cuticle are not well understood. Studies focusing on cuticles are increasingly important due to the major challenges of crop production, such as diseases and abiotic stresses. In this review, we focus on the cuticle as a key factor in the quality of horticultural crops and provide an overview of the recent research and conclusions in the field.