Some inhibitory effects of radiation stress on tomato fruit ripening

Detached tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Vendor) fruit exposed to 650 W m−2 radiation from incandescent lamps for 1.5 or 4 h developed visible injury during subsequent storage. In tissues directly exposed to the radiation, ascorbic acid content was decreased and lycopene accumulation and protopectin solubilisation were blocked. For intact fruit, the respiratory climacteric was depressed, but ethylene production was enhanced following the radiation stress. Radiation injury blocks both the initiation and the progress of ripening.