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Articles

Induction of Abscission at Hypobaric Pressures

Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Orlando, Florida 32803

The use of hypobaric pressures has increased the precision of abscission research by enabling us to differentiate between abscission action of ethylene and abscisic acid. When cycloheximide is sprayed on fruit attached to trees, enhanced levels of ethylene occur in the fruit and, subsequently, the fruit abscises. When ethylene in the fruit is eliminated by hypobaric pressures, the fruit does not abscise. Thus, ethylene is the effector of fruit abscission that results from cycloheximide treatment. When abscisic acid is applied to the fruit through stem uptake and ethylene is removed by hypobaric pressures, rapid fruit abscission occurs, which is presumably caused by abscisic acid itself. Thus, either ethylene or abscisic acid will induce abscission of citrus. Likewise, the abscission of debladed petioles of Coleus plants appears to be effected either by ethylene or abscisic acid.