Fruit Ripening and Senescence Regulated by Ethylene and Melatonin

Fruit ripening and senescence are two important stages of fruit development, during which many physiological and biochemical changes going on. Hormones play critical roles in fruit ripening and senescence, and among them, ethylene is the most outstanding one. It could promote climacteric and non-climacteric fruit ripening and senescence and the regulating mechanisms have been much clearer. Melatonin is an bioactive substance existing in nearly all kinds of pants and it is involved in most growth and development processes of plant. Recent researches showed that melatonin can promote fruit ripening by increasing ethylene production, pigment and aroma/taste, and decreasing cell wall sickness et al. While it can inhibit fruit senescence by eliminating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the specific regulating mechanism is still not clear, and further studies are urgently needed.