Ethylene and Fruit Ripening

Abstract An investigator commencing work on ethylene and fruit ripening is confronted by the enormous diversity among fruit. It is necessary to identify unique characteristics that differentiate fleshy plant structures from other plant parts in order to develop new treatments successfully for extending the commercial life of fruit. Fleshy fruit are typically determinate structures genetically programmed within each species to achieve a distinctive maximum size, shape, color, texture, and taste. Botanical origins of the tissues that comprise fruit are various. The metabolism of fruit is qualitatively similar, despite their morphological and anatomical diversity, in all cases involving glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, terminal oxidases and the biogenesis of ethylene, auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, and abscisic acid. Genetic diversity in the patterns of ethylene production during growth, ripening, and senescence is apparent among fruit.