The climateric feature of fruits is reflected in sensitivity to ethylene of plantlets in vitro

Ethylene may develop inside culture vessel and interfere with the growth of cultivated plantlets. The damaging pattern on in vitro pantlets is not uniform. A study of this damage has been conductet on six fruit species almost equally divided between non-climateric fruits producing species (Prunus avium, Vitis vinifera and Fragaria vesca) and climateric fruits producing fruit hybrid (peach x almond GF 677) has also been studied because of its high sensitivity of ethylene. The chlorophyll content appeared to be the best parameter for revealing the size of damage produced by the developing etylene. In order to draw uniform conclusions, both ethylene and chloropyll have been calculated as rations of the dry weight of the plantlet. Their variations, expressed as a percentage of their initial values, have been considered in order to evaluate the trend. A dramatic difference resulted between the climateric fruits producing species (very sensitive to ethylene) and non climateric fruits producing species which were oly slightly sensitive to the ethylene. The chlorophyll analysis revealed effects which passed unnoticed to previous observations, lacking such precise analytical tool.