Ethylene, Polyamines and Fruit Ripening

  • Roshni Mehta
  • Avtar Handa
  • Autar Mattoo
Chapter
Part of the Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture book series (PSBA, volume 36)

Abstract

Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone which influences many aspects of plant growth, development and senescence. In addition, ethylene is produced by fungi and bacteria, and potentially influences host-pathogen and host-pest interactions (1,2). Although some progress has been made in identifying the receptors for ethylene action and in elucidating ethylene signal transduction pathway in higher plants (3,4), not much is known about how microbial pathogens or phytophagous insects recognize ethylene or how its action gets transmitted. Ethylene likely influences some or more of the metabolic processes via interactions with other plant growth regulators and hormones that regulate plant growth and development (5). Historically, five principal classes of phytohormones are recognized: auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, ethylene. To these, newly established ones should be added, brassinosteroids (6) and methyljasmonate (7). In addition, other growth regulators such as polyamines (8) and salicylic acid (9) likely interact with these hormones to specifically regulate plant metabolism or plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, brassinosteroids, and polyamines are generally considered as promotors of growth and development while methyljasmonate, abscisic acid and ethylene promote senescence and cell death. The shift of a cell from growth and development to senescence is a commitment determined by not only the relative levels of these two sets of growth regulators, but also by the sensitivity of that particular cell to perceive different hormones, individually or in a certain combination.

Keywords

Salicylic Acid Ethylene Production Ethylene Biosynthesis Principal Classis Plant Hormone Ethylene 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1999

Authors and Affiliations

  • Roshni Mehta
    • 1
  • Avtar Handa
    • 2
  • Autar Mattoo
    • 1
  1. 1.USDA Vegetable LaboratoryAgricultural Research Center-WBeltsvilleUSA
  2. 2.Department of HorticulturePurdue UniversityW. LafayetteUSA

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