Involvement of endogenous ethylene in the induction of color change in shamouti oranges.

Reducing the level of endogenous ethylene in detached Shamouti oranges (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) by means of subatmospheric pressure did not alter the rate of chlorophyll destruction and color changes during the first 8 days after harvest in the presence or absence of exogenous ethylene. Reducing the activity of ethylene by means of CO(2)-known to be a competitive inhibitor for ethylene-inhibited chlorophyll destruction and color change in Shamouti oranges ventilated with ethylene, but had no effect on these processes in the absence of applied ethylene. The evidence presented indicates that endogenous ethylene may not be the primary inducer for the natural color change in detached Shamouti oranges.