technique for maintaining postharvest quality. In com-
mon commercial use to remove ethylene from the at-
mosphere is to absorb and oxidize it with potassium
permanganate (KMnO
4
). Several studies have shown
that KMnO
4
applications delay fruit softening and in-
crease postharvest life (Illeperuma and Jayasuriya,
2002; Castro et al., 2005; Correa et al., 2005).
Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant hormone inhibiting
ethylene biosynthesis and delaying the senescence
(Ozeker, 2005). SA has been shown to inhibit the
conversion of ACC into ethylene (Leslie and Romani,
1988) by suppressing ACC oxidase activity (Fan et
al., 1996). SA is also involved in local and systemic
resistance to pathogens (Yalpani et al., 1994; Kang