Regulation of cell wall softening enzymes during ripening of mango fruits.
Reddy Y. V., Srivastava G. C.
Author Affiliation: Division of Plant Physiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-12, India.
Indian Journal of Plant Physiology 4 : 194-196
Abstract : Polygalacturonase (PG) activity was determined in Amrapali and Dashehari mangoes under vacuum infiltration with CaCl2. Enzyme activity in untreated fruits was low at the mature green stage but increased gradually to the full ripe stage and later declined in both cultivars. Vacuum infiltration with 1, 2, 3 or 4% CaCl2 at 300 mm Hg inhibited PG activity during ripening. Ethylene (1 ppm) treatment enhanced PG activity many times over the control at ambient temperature (25±1°C), while at 10°C PG activity declined significantly in ethylene-treated and also in control fruits. This suggests that temperature plays a significant role in the activities of softening enzymes.