Abstract
The abscission zone in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum (L.) Mill. flower pedicels is morphologically distinguishable prior to separation and is delineated by an indentation of the epidermis. Exposure of excised pedicels with the flower attached to ethylene results in abscission within 12 h and this can be accelerated by flower removal. Abscission of excised pedicels with the flower removed takes place in the absence of exogenous ethylene but this is delayed by pretreatment with aminoethoxyvinyl glycine, an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis. The data presented support the hypothesis that flower tissue is the source of an abscission inhibitor.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- AVG:
-
aminoethoxyvinyl glycine
- IAA:
-
indole-3-acetic acid
References
Abeles, F.B. (1973) Ethylene in plant biology. Academic Press, New York
Addicott, F.T. (1970) Plant hormones in the control of abscission. Biol. Rev. 45, 485–524
Beyer, E.M. Jr. (1975) Abscission: the initial effect of ethylene is in the leaf blade. Plant Physiol. 55, 322–327
De La Fuente, R.K., Leopold, A.C. (1969) Kinetics of abscission in the bean petiole explant. Plant Physiol. 44, 251–254
Gilliland, M.G., Bornman, C.H., Addicott, F.T. (1976) Ultrastructure and acid phosphatase in pedicel abscission of Hibiscus. Am. J. Bot. 63, 925–935
Jackson, M.B., Osborne, D.J. (1970) Ethylene, the natural regulator of leaf abscission. Nature (London) 225, 1019–1022
Jackson, M.B., Osborne, D.J. (1972) Abscisic acid, auxin and ethylene in explant abscission. J. Exp. Bot. 23, 849–862
Jeffcoat, B., Cockshull, K.E. (1972) Changes in the levels of endogenous growth regulators during development of the flowers of Chrysanthemum morifolium. J. Exp. Bot. 23, 722–732
Jensen, T.E., Valdovinos, J.G. (1967) Fine structure of abscission zones. I. Abscission zones of the pedicels of tomato flowers at anthesis. Planta 77, 298–318
Jensen, W.A. (1962) Botanical Histochemistry. Freeman. San Francisco London
Lieberman, S.J., Valdovinos, J.G., Jensen, T.E. (1982) Ultrastructural localization of cellulase in abscission cells of tobacco flower pedicels. Bot. Gaz. (Chicago) 143, 32–40
Lipe, J.A., Morgan, P.W. (1972) Ethylene: role in fruit abscission and dehiscence processes. Plant Physiol. 50, 759–764
Sexton, R., Roberts, J.A. (1982) Cell biology of abscission. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 33, 133–162
Valdovinos, J.G., Jensen, T.E., Sicko, L.M. (1972) Fine structure of abscission zones. IV. Effect of ethylene on the ultrastructure of abscission cells of tomato flower pedicels. Planta 102, 324–333
Ward, T.M., Wright, M., Roberts, J.A., Self, R., Osborne, D.J., (1978) Analytical procedures for the assay and identification of ethylene. In: Isolation of plant growth substances. Society for experimental biology seminar series, vol. 4, pp. 135–151, Hillman, J.R., ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Young, R.E., Pratt, H.K., Biale, J.B. (1952) Manometric determination of low concentrations of ethylene. Anal. Chem. 24, 551–555
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Roberts, J.A., Schindler, C.B. & Tucker, G.A. Ethylene-promoted tomato flower abscission and the possible involvement of an inhibitor. Planta 160, 159–163 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392864
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392864