Abstract:Postharvest physiology in the world begins approximately in the 1920s mainly for the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables concerning preservation and transportation. With the rapid development and efficient application of genomics, transcriptomes, metabolomes, proteomics and other technical means, postharvest research of fruits and vegetables has developed greatly in the 21st century. The major progresses include the presence of Met oxidation regulated by Met sulfoxide reductases A and B in relation to down-regulation of LcMsrA1/B1 leading to accelerated oxidation of LcCaM1 and enhanced LcNAC13 expression and DNA binding activity of LcWRKY1 in litchi fruit, a negative effect of MaMYB3 on starch degradation by directly inhibiting the starch degradation-related gene, MabHLH6, to delay the ripening of banana fruit, the identifications of α-and β-branched carotenoid-transformed R2R3-MYB transcription factor of citrus fruit and different members of the TPS family of steroid synthase-encoding genes, WRKY and AP2/ERF transcription factors involved in the aroma formation of peach fruit, and a vacuolar processing enzyme gene, SlVPE3, to regulate the resistance of tomato fruit to pathogens by activating the inhibitor of proteinase (KTI4). According to the SCI publications using postharvest as a key word in the recent years, it is suggested that the postharvest physiology in China is closely related to the development frontier and is generally recognized as the international level, with some problems such as a large discipline but lack of leading publications and scientists or talents. An emphasis on increased financial support, prior basic research, enhanced international cooperation, and improved research team in the discipline development is proposed.