Location of ethylene production in cotton flowers and dehiscing fruits.

Over half of the ethylene produced by 1-day-old cotton flowers came from the combined stigma, style, and stamens. These tissues produced 0.0050 μl/flower·h compared to 0.0024 and 0.0010 μl/flower·h produced by the petals and ovary, respectively. Walls of dehiscing cotton fruits produced 0.052 μl ethylene/fruit·h. This was approximately 50% more than seeds plus fiber which produced 0.033 μl/fruit·h.