Climacteric (botany)

Climacteric (botany)

The climacteric is a stage of fruit ripening associated with ethylene production and cell respiration rise.[1][2] Apples, bananas, melons, apricots, tomatoes (among others) are climacteric fruit. Citrus, grapes, strawberries are non-climacteric (they ripen without ethylene and respiration bursts). However, there are non-climacteric melons and apricots, and grapes and strawberries harbour several ethylene receptors which are active. Climacteric is the final physiological process that marks the end of fruit maturation and the beginning of fruit senescence. Its defining point is the sudden rise in respiration of the fruit and normally takes place without any external influences. After the climacteric period, respiration rates (noted by carbon dioxide production) return to or below the point before the event. The climacteric event also leads to other changes in the fruit including pigment changes and sugar release. For those fruits raised as food the climacteric event marks the peak of edible ripeness, with fruits having the best taste and texture for consumption. After the event fruits are more susceptible to fungal invasion and begin to degrade with cell death.

References

  1. ^ "climacteric". Biology-Online.org Dictionary of Biology. http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Climacteric. Retrieved 2007-02-11. 
  2. ^ Michael Knee (2002), Fruit quality and its Biological Basis, CRC Press, p. 181, ISBN 9780849397813 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Climacteric — can refer to: Climacteric year, in astrology Climacteric (human), a phase in human, specially female, development Climacteric (botany), a stage of fruit ripening Climacteric (journal), a journal published by Informa Healthcare This disambiguation …   Wikipedia

  • climacteric phase — noun (botany) (in certain fruits) the period when full growth has been achieved and an increased respiration rate promotes rapid ripening • • • Main Entry: ↑climacteric …   Useful english dictionary

  • Climacteric (biology) — In current practice, climacteric is most often a synonym for female menopause. In Princeton University s online Wordnet database, climacteric is listed as: cite web |url=http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn |title=WordNet Search 3.0… …   Wikipedia

  • climacteric — [klʌɪ makt(ə)rɪk, ˌklʌɪmak tɛrɪk] noun 1》 a critical period or event. 2》 Medicine the period of life when fertility is in decline; (in women) the menopause. 3》 Botany the ripening period while still on the tree of certain fruits such as apples,… …   English new terms dictionary

  • Pear — Pyrus redirects here. For other uses, see Pyrus (disambiguation). For other uses, see Pear (disambiguation). Pears European Pear branch with fruit Scientific classification …   Wikipedia

  • Peach — This article is about the tree and its fruit. For other uses, see Peach (disambiguation). Peach Autumn Red Peaches, cross section Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Plant hormone — Plant hormones (also known as phytohormones) are chemicals that regulate plant growth. Plant hormones are signal molecules produced within the plant, and occur in extremely low concentrations. Hormones regulate cellular processes in targeted… …   Wikipedia

  • Amino acid — This article is about the class of chemicals. For the structures and properties of the standard proteinogenic amino acids, see Proteinogenic amino acid. The generic structure of an alpha amino acid in its unionized form …   Wikipedia

  • Ethylene — Ethylene …   Wikipedia

  • Citrus — For other uses, see Citrus (disambiguation). Citrus Sweet Orange (Citrus × sinensis cultivar) Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”