Cytokinins (CKs) are a chemically diverse class of plant growth regulators, exhibiting wide-ranging actions on plant growth and development, hence their exploitation in agriculture for crop improvement and management. Their coordinated regulatory effects and cross-talk interactions with other phytohormones and signaling networks are highly sophisticated, eliciting and controlling varied biological processes at the cellular to organismal levels. In this review, we briefly introduce the mode of action and general molecular biological effects of naturally occurring CKs before highlighting the great variability in the response of fruit crops to CK-based innovations. We present a comprehensive compilation of research linked to the application of CKs in non-model crop species in different phases of fruit production and management. By doing so, it is clear that the effects of CKs on fruit set, development, maturation, and ripening are not necessarily generic, even for cultivars within the same species, illustrating the magnitude of yet unknown intricate biochemical and genetic mechanisms regulating these processes in different fruit crops. Current approaches using genomic-to-metabolomic analysis are providing new insights into the in planta mechanisms of CKs, pinpointing the underlying CK-derived actions that may serve as potential targets for improving crop-specific traits and the development of new solutions for the preharvest and postharvest management of fruit crops. Where information is available, CK molecular biology is discussed in the context of its present and future implications in the applications of CKs to fruits of horticultural significance.

Agricultural Research Council Roodeplaat Vegetable and Ornamental Plants Private Bag X293 Pretoria 0001 South Africa

Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 South Africa

Department of Chemical Biology and Genetics Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research Faculty of Science Palacký University Šlechtitelů 27 CZ 783 71 Olomouc Czech Republic

Department of Horticulture Faculty of Applied Sciences Durban University of Technology P O Box 1334 Durban 4000 South Africa

Food Security and Safety Niche Area Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences North West University Private Bag X2046 Mmabatho 2745 South Africa

Indigenous Knowledge Systems Centre Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences North West University Private Bag X2046 Mmabatho 2745 South Africa

Laboratory of Growth Regulators Faculty of Science Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR Šlechtitelů 11 CZ 783 71 Olomouc Czech Republic

Postharvest Research Laboratory Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology Faculty of Science University of Johannesburg Auckland Park Kingsway Campus P O Box 524 Auckland Park 2006 South Africa

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