Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Kyoko Hiwasa-Tanase and Hiroshi Ezura*
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
repetitive eating. Differences in fruit shelf-
lives that affect the area of seed dispersal
may be an adaptive strategy. For example,
fruit with a long shelf-life can be trans-
ported to more distant areas, thereby ex-
panding the territory of the plant. In
contrast, fruit with a short shelf-life are
eaten in an area near the parent plants, and
the seeds grow into buds that may create a
dense community. Thus, fruit maturation
and ripening are important phenomena
that infl uence the dispersal of mature
seeds.
Currently, consumable fruits are in-
dispensable to the human diet from both a
nutritional and an enjoyment standpoint.
In terms of their economic importance,
various studies of fruits have been per-
formed, such as cultivation studies,
breeding studies, environmental biology
studies, morphological studies, physio-
logical studies and nutritional studies. In
particular, the dramatic change from
immature to mature fruit has stimulated
the interest of researchers, and studies
have been performed extensively at the
biochemical, physiological and molecular
levels to understand better the ripening
mechanism and to improve the quality and
shelf-life of fruits, especially as it relates to
their economic value.
1.1 Introduction: The Role of Fruit
Maturation and Ripening in Plants
Plants have developed a fruit architecture
with the characteristics necessary to pro-
tect their seeds from the natural environ-
ment and disseminate those seeds. Seeds
are frequently dispersed by animals as well
as by wind and rain. Plants have made
their fruit more attractive for surrounding
animals by providing sources of energy and
nutrition, thereby leading to successful
seed spreading and propagation. Thus,
fruit formation in plants is a reproductive
strategy acquired during evolution, which
has led to countless varieties of fruit types
throughout the world.
Biologically, fruit is the framework that
contains the seed in an angiosperm. There-
fore, a fruit mainly consists of an ovary,
including partial or whole carpel tissues.
However, the edible part of a fl eshy fruit
also develops from various fl oral com-
ponents, such as the receptacle, sepal and
infl orescence. The fruit tissues usually
ripen in concert with the maturation of the
seed, regardless of their derivation, and
attract animals by their colour and aroma.
Not only do fruits stimulate the visual
and olfactory senses of animals, but their
sweet taste and juicy texture also induce
