Ethylene as a Growth Hormone in Peach Fruit.

Abstract

Ethylene production by whole fruit and mesocarp pieces of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. cv. Golden Queen] was measured throughout the growing season. Peach fruit have a double-sigmoid growth curve, in which a lag period of slow weight increase (stage II) is followed by a rapid stage of weight increase (stage III). Changes in ethylene production could not be related to stage I- stage II transitions, and ethylene remained low at the start of fresh weight stage III. Two weeks later, ethylene production rose sharply at the same time as the fruit started accumulating dry weight in dry weight stage III. Mesocarp pieces produced ethylene in a pattern similar to that of whole fruit. We conclude that, in peach, increasing ethylene production is one of the hormonal changes involved in dry matter accumulation during stage III of fruit growth.