The respiratory climacteric is present in Charentais (<i>Cucumis melo</i>cv. Reticulatus F1 Alpha) melons ripened on or off the plant

Abstract

Ripening of climacteric fruit is accompanied by an increase in respiration and autocatalytic ethylene synthesis. In harvested melons, there is variation in the magnitude and duration of the respiratory climacteric depending on the cultivar. It has recently been reported that, while the ripening-associated increase in ethylene production is present, the respiratory climacteric is absent in ripening melon fruit attached to the plant, leading to the suggestion that climacteric respiration is an artifact of harvest. To address the universality of this phenomenon, ripening behaviour in the melon cultivar Charentais (Cucumis melo cv. Reticulatus F1 Alpha), was investigated and the results show that the respiratory climacteric occurs in fruit ripened both on and off the plant.