Abstract

Gray mold presents a significant threat to the postharvest preservation of fruits. Trehalose can inhibit the growth and reproduction of pathogenic fungi while enhancing the disease resistance of postharvest fruits. In this study, treatment with trehalose resulted in a significant reduction in the disease index, fruit rot rate, and weight loss rate. Through comparative omics analyses, we identified 2201 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 383 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses revealed that most DEGs were involved in plant hormone signal transduction, amino acid biosynthesis, and ABC transporters pathways. Additionally, genes related to defense mechanisms and their biosynthetic pathways exhibited higher expression levels. These findings suggest that trehalose can induce the expression of endogenous disease resistance signaling pathways in fruits, thereby enhancing their resistance to gray mold.