The effect of conditions of storage on the respiration of apples. VI. The effects of temperature and controlled atmosphere storage on the relationship between rates of production of ethylene and carbon dioxide

Abstract

SummaryStudies on freshly harvested fruit of three apple cultivars kept in air or under C.A. conditions at 12°, 7.2°, 3.3° and 0 °C have shown that the initiation of ethylene production is not necessarily associated with the onset of the respiration climacteric, and therefore cast doubt on the belief that ethylene is a ripening hormone. The dissociation of the two phenomena was effected by low temperatures and by storage under C.A. conditions.The studies showed also that there is a linear relationship between rate of production of ethylene and its concentration in the intercellular spaces of the fruit.