The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), a monocotyledonous species in the family Arecaceae, has an extraordinarily oil rich fleshy mesocarp, and presents an original model to examine the ripening processes and regulation in this particular monocot fruit. Histochemical analysis and cell parameter measurements revealed cell wall and middle lamella expansion and degradation during ripening and in respon...

The tomato fruits during different stages of ripening have been extensively characterized for nutritionally important bioactives; however, changes in fatty acid composition are not available. Thus, in the present study, changes in fatty acid, along with carotenoid and α-tocopherol, were studied during the six stages of ripening. Fruits were harvested at the green, breaker, turning, pink, light ...

Tomato plants harboring the ripening-inhibitor (rin) mutation yield fruits that fail to ripen. Additionally, rin plants display enlarged sepals and loss of inflorescence determinacy. Positional cloning of the rin locus revealed two tandem MADS-box genes (LeMADS-RIN and LeMADS-MC), whose expression patterns suggested roles in fruit ripening and sepal development, respectively. The rin mutation a...

Fruit ripening is a genetically programmed process. Transcription factors (TFs) play key roles in plant development and ripening by temporarily and spatially regulating the transcription of their target genes. In this study, a total of 159 TFs were identified from a spontaneous late-ripening mutant 'Fengwan' (C. sinensis L. Osbeck) sweet orange (MT) and its wild-type counterpart ('Fengjie 72-1'...

In this paper we describe a novel, dominant pleiotropic tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)-ripening mutation, Cnr (colorless nonripening). This mutant occurred spontaneously in a commercial population. Cnr has a phenotype that is quite distinct from that of the other pleiotropic tomato-ripening mutants and is characterized by fruit that show greatly reduced ethylene production, an inhibition of s...

The characterization of proteins isolated from skin tissue is apparently an essential parameter for understanding grape ripening as this tissue contains the key compounds for wine quality. It has been particularly difficult to extract proteins from skins for analysis by two-dimensional electrophoresis gels and, therefore, a protocol for this purpose has been adapted. The focus was on the evolut...

Organic strawberry fruits (Cv. 'Albion') were harvested at six different ripening stages and evaluated for physical and chemical parameters. Biometrical characteristics and moisture content did not change significantly during ripening. Total soluble solids, pH and colour development increased while titratable acidity and fruit firmness decreased 14.7% and 91%, respectively. Fructose, glucose, a...

The effects of ethylene gas, 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid, and the auxin, benzothiazole-2-oxyacetic acid, on the ripening of grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) was investigated. Ethylene hastened the start of ripening of Doradillo grapes when it was aplied for 10 days starting midway through the slow growth phase. 2-Chloroethylphosphonic acid applied to Shiraz grapes showed the same effect, but when it...

Polysome profiles were examined from lyophilized peel tissue of ripening pear (Pyrus communis, L. var. Passe-Crassane). Messenger RNA chains bearing up to eight ribosomes (octamers) were resolved and exhibited the highest absorption peak when ribonuclease activity was eliminated during extraction. Neither normal ripening nor the increase of large polyribosomes that normally accompanies ripening...

Ripening of fleshy fruits is a complex process that involves dramatic changes in color, texture, flavor, and aroma, which is essentially regulated by multiple hormone signals. Although the metabolic mechanisms for the regulation of fruit development and ripening have been studied extensively, little is known about the signaling mechanisms underlying this process. FERONIA has been increasingly s...