Abstract
Ethanol and acetaldehyde both prevent the formation of ethylene bysenescing cut carnation flowers. This is due to the almost complete inhibitionof the activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-carboxylic acid oxidase. Thesetreatmentsalso reduce the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid content of the tissue andresult in a loss of protein. The protein content of treated flowers wassignificantly lower than that of control flowers, due to a general rather thanspecific loss of protein. This affects the metabolism of the flowers,preventingenzyme mediated reactions as well as cell growth and development. One enzymethat remained active was alcohol dehydrogenase, allowing for a constantshuttling between ethanol and acetaldehyde.
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Podd, L., Hills, P. & Van Staden, J. Physiological response and extension of vase life of cut carnation flowers treated with ethanol and acetaldehyde. II. Protein content and enzyme activity. Plant Growth Regulation 38, 107–117 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021219829005
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021219829005