Temperature and exposure time during ethylene conditioning affect ripening of Bartlett pears.
Freshly harvested early- and mid-season Bartlett pears (Pyrus communis) were treated with ethylene (air plus 10 Pa C(2)H(4)) or air at 5, 10, and 20 degrees C for 24 and 48 h (experiment 1) and at 5 and 10 degrees C for 48, 72, and 96 h and at 20 degrees C for 24 h (experiment 2). Following C(2)H(4) or air treatment at different temperatures and durations, pears were transferred to 20 degrees C in air for ripening. Bartlett pears were evaluated for firmness, color, respiration, C(2)H(4) production, and activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACC-S) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACC-O). Ethylene action was temperature dependent. The duration of C(2)H(4) conditioning needed to fully induce ripening was longer at lower temperatures: 72 h at 5 degrees C, 48 h at 10 degrees C, and 24 h at 20 degrees C. Cold storage in air for as little as 3-4 days at 5 or 10 degrees C appeared to hasten subsequent ripening, but to a lesser extent than pears kept for 2 weeks at -1 degrees C in air. Despite a significant increase in ACC-S activity in pears treated with C(2)H(4) at 5 degrees C, there was not a simultaneous increase in ACC-O activity, resulting in low C(2)H(4) production that was insufficient to generate the threshold endogenous levels of C(2)H(4) required for ripening. Contrary to previous findings with pears, these data indicate that ACC-O could be a rate-limiting step in C(2)H(4) biosynthesis.
Agar
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IT
Department of Horticulture, University of Cukurova, 01330 Adana, Turkey, and Department of Pomology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
Biasi
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WV
Mitcham
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EJ
D005030:Ethylenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods; D005638:Fruit / Q000187:drug effects*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
D005030:Ethylenes; C036216:ethylene