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Effect of ethylene on the permeability of excised cantaloupe fruit tissue.

1967; Oxford University Press; Volume: 42; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1104/pp.42.2.299

1532-2548

G J AVon Abrams, Harlan K. Pratt,

Plant Surface Properties and Treatments

C(hanges in tisstue permeability are associated with the matutration and ripening of fruits. Blackman and Parija (3) suggested that permeability changes may cause the climacteric rise in respiration which is a characteristic of ripening in most fruits. Sacher (13) showed that leakage of solutes increased progressively with the climacteric rise in ripening banana and avocado fruits, and he noted that these results were consistent with the hvpothesis that alteration in membrane properties may catuse the climacteric. Ben-Yehoshua (2) reported that leakage of cellular materials from excised disks of avocado fruits began before the onset of the climacteric and continued to increase during the rise in respiration. He agreed with Sacher that changes in membrane permeability may bear a causal relationship to the climacteric. Baur and Workman (1) noted that changes in permeability and the onset of the climacteric apparently occulrred simultaneously in banana fruits. Bturg et al. (5) concluded that solute efflux from banana tissue was simply a reflection of sugar content, and that permeability did not change with ripening. However, using solute uptake to estimate free space, Sacher (14) has shown conclusively that permeability does increase with ripening of banana frtuits and, indeed, that changes in permeability precede the onset of the climacteric rise. There is evidence that an increase in ethylene prodtuction also precedes the climacteric rise in respiration. This has been shown in bananas (4) and in Honey Dew melons (12). Recalculation of the data of Lyons et al. (7) indicates that an increase in internal ethylene concentration probably precedes the onset of the climacteric in cantaloupe fruits, also.