New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Ethylene-insensitive floral senescence
in Sandersonia aurantiaca (Hook.)
JOCELYN R. EASON
LEIGH DE VRÉ
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Levin Research Centre
Private Bag 4005, Levin
New Zealand
Abstract We have demonstrated that the senescence of
Sandersonia aurantiaca (Hook.) flowers is insensitive to ethylene.
Treating detached, physiologically mature flowers with propylene (0.5%, 24 h)
did not alter the patterns of colour change, fresh weight, or respiration which
normally occur as the flowers senesce. Silver thiosulphate (STS, 1 m
M)
did not extend the vase life of the flowers. Postharvest ethylene production by
flowers was negligible, regardless of whether they had been exposed to
propylene and or STS. Cycloheximide treatments (1 u
M, 100 u
M)
inhibited the loss of pigment or fading associated with flower senescence. This
suggests that de novo protein synthesis is required for pigment degradation in
senescing sandersonia flowers. However, 100 u
M cycloheximide also caused
detached flowers to wilt prematurely, thereby changing the normal sequence of
events that occur during senescence in this flower. Exposing flowers to
actinomycin D caused a subtle change in their pattern of senescence and in
vitro translation of RNA extracted from the flowers produced a pattern of
translation products that differed from that of control flowers held in water.
The data demonstrate that specific changes in both transcription and
translation accompany the ethylene-insensitive senescence of sandersonia
flowers.
Keywords Sandersonia aurantiaca; flower senescence;
ethylene; silver thiosulphate; cycloheximide; actinomycin D
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 1995, Vol. 23:
447-454
0114-0671/95/2304-0447 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1995
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1424K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
This year's abstracts |
Journal home page |
All abstracts |
Publishing home page
