%0 Journal Article
%T Ripening Characteristics and Pigment Changes in Russeted Pear Fruit in Response to Ethylene and 1-MCP
%A Akihiro Itai
%A Daiki Matsumoto
%A Hideki Murayama
%A Nongluk Charoenchongsuk
%J Horticulturae | An Open Access Journal from MDPI
%D 2018
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae4030022
%X Abstract Ripening characteristics and pigment changes were investigated in ¡®La France¡¯, ¡®Gorham¡¯, and their russeted sports ¡®Gold La France¡¯ and ¡®Grand Champion¡¯ pears. Fruit were harvested at commercial maturity and ripened at 20 ¡ãC. In all cultivars, fruit softening was concomitant with a burst in ethylene production. Interestingly, such changes were delayed in russet pear when compared with their wild-types. Chlorophyll level in russet pear at harvest was the same as in the wild-type. In ¡®Gorham¡¯ and ¡®Grand Champion¡¯ pears, its level rapidly decreased during ripening. Ethylene or 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) did not affect the color and pigments in ¡®La France¡¯ and ¡®Gold La France¡¯ pears. In contrast, in ¡®Gorham¡¯ and ¡®Grand Champion¡¯ pears, chlorophyll degradation was suppressed by 1-MCP treatment, but not completely. These results suggested that chlorophyll degradation was regulated by both ethylene-dependent and ethylene-independent means. The influence of ethylene on the expression of chlorophyll-degradation-related genes seemed to be similar in both russet and wild-type. The Stay green-1 gene was stimulated by ethylene and suppressed by 1-MCP treatment. In contrast, little effect of ethylene or 1-MCP was observed on chlorophyllase 1, pheophytinase, pheophorbide a oxygenase, and NYC1-like genes. View Full-Tex
%K chlorophylls
%K ethylene
%K 1-methylcycropropene
%K russet pear
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/4/3/22