Potentiating effect of pure oxygen on the enhancement of respiration by ethylene in plant storage organs: a comparative study.

A number of fruits and bulky storage organs were studied with respect to the effect of pure O(2) on the extent and time-course of the respiratory rise induced by ethylene. In one group, of which potato (Solanum tuberosum var. Russet) and carrot (Daucus carota) are examples, the response to ethylene in O(2) is much greater than in air. In a second group, of which avocado (Persea americana Mill. var. Hass) and banana (Musa cavendishii Lambert var. Valery) are examples, air and O(2) are equally effective. When O(2)-responsive organs are peeled, air and O(2) synergize the ethylene response to the same extent in parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), whereas O(2) is more stimulatory than air in carrots. In the latter instance, carrot flesh is considered to contribute significantly to diffusion resistance. The release of CO(2), an ethylene antagonist, is recognized as another element in the response to peeling.The potentiating effect of O(2) is considered to be primarily on ethylene action in the development of the respiratory rise rather than on the respiration process per se. On the assumption that diffusion controls O(2) movement into bulky organs and the peel represents the major diffusion barrier, simple calculations indicate that the O(2) concentration in untreated organs in air readily sustains respiration. Furthermore, in ethylene-treated organs in pure O(2), the internal O(2) concentration is more than enough to maintain the high respiration rates. Skin conductivity to O(2) is the fundamental parameter differentiating O(2)-responsive from O(2)-nonresponsive fruits and bulky storage organs. The large preceding the earliest response to ethylene, as well as the magnitude of the ethylene-induced respiratory rise, is also controlled by permeability characteristics of the peel.