Abnormalities in ripening lead, in some years, to substantial losses of fruit. For example, in tomato, there is a physiological disorder known as "blotchy" fruit which has been related to alterations in the cell wall metabolism (7). Some areas within the fruit fail to soften normally resulting in hard spots in the otherwise ripe fruit. This reduction in quality of the fruit often results in rej...

d'Anjou cv. pear fruit (Pyrus communis L.) exposed at harvest to 0, 0.42, 4.2, or 42 micromol m(-)(3) 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) for 12 h at 20 degrees C were stored at 1 degrees C for up to 8 months. After storage, half of the fruit was continuously exposed to ethylene (0.45 or 4-18 mmol m(-)(3)) for 7 days at 20 degrees C. All fruit treated with 1-MCP had lower respiration and ethylene prod...

In this study the effects of plant growth regulators including; GA3 (0 and 50 mg/l) and ethephon (0 and 500 mg/l) were studied on the quality properties of two grape cultivars (Perlette and Yaghuti). At the harvest time, some physicochemical characteristics such as fruit cluster weight, fruit diameter, length, volume and L/D ratio, flesh firmness, fresh weight, TA, pH, TSS and fruit color were ...

Fruit ripening is a coordinated series of biochemical changes that renders the fruit attractive to eat. The fruit may soften, develop colour, change starch or acid into sugar, become flavoursome, produce more ethylene, increase in sensitivity to ethylene, and respire more rapidly. This syndrome is under contemporary genetic control as illustrated by mutants with fruit that develop normally but ...

Ultrastructural changes in the cell walls of "Calville de San Sauveur" apples (Malus sylvestris Mill) and "Spadona" pear (Pyrus communis L.) fruit were followed during ripening. In apple, structural alterations in cell walls became apparent at advanced stages of softening and showed predominantly dissolution of the middle lamella. In pears softening was also associated with the dissolution of t...

Softening, which accompanies ripening fruits is also to a large extent, responsible for the damage that occurs during handling and shipping. The effects of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) application at different ripening stages (mature green, breaker, breaker + 2 days and breaker + 4 days) on cellulase and pectinase activities of cherry tomato fruit (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. var. cerasiforme...

Softening of the flesh and the rise in ethylene evolution and respiration associated with ripening in pear (Pyrus communis L.) fruit was delayed when mannose was vacuum infiltrated into intact fruit. The extent of delay could be modified by altering the concentration or the volume of mannose applied to the fruit. Inhibition of ripening was associated with phosphorylation of mannose to mannose 6...