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Auxin Inhibition of Ripening in Bartlett Pears ¹

^a Department of Horticulture and Forestry, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903

The effect of indoleacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on the ripening of intact mature-green pears (Pyrus communis var. Bartlett) was investigated using a vacuum infiltration technique.

The effects of indoleacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mM each were studied on softening, degreening, and on ethylene and CO₂ evolution. Softening and degreening were inhibited increasingly in response to increased concentrations of indoleacetic acid. This inhibitory property was amplified by 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid at concentrations comparable to those of indoleacetic acid. Application of the auxins also prevented the climacteric rise in respiration, but stimulated ethylene synthesis. Despite the presence of elevated ethylene levels, the inhibitory auxin effect was predominant.

It is proposed that endogenous auxins in fruit represent a resistance factor in ripening and must be inactivated before ripening can occur.