Study on the Characteristics and Regulatory
Signals of Programmed Cell Death in the Abscission Zone of Korla Fragrant Pear
Induced by Ethephon

doi:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0372

Acta Horticulturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (4): 959-972.doi: 10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0372

• Cultivation·Physiology & Biochemistry • Previous Articles Next Articles

Study on the Characteristics and Regulatory Signals of Programmed Cell Death in the Abscission Zone of Korla Fragrant Pear Induced by Ethephon

WEN Yue^1,*，SHAOBAI Junjie^1,*，SUN Tianyu¹，ZHANG Shuqin¹，WANG Chunfeng²，and TIAN Jia^1,**(terrisay@163.com)

¹Xinjiang Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Cultivation and High-Value Utilization of Forests and Fruits，College of Horticulture，Xinjiang Agricultural University，Urumqi 830052，China ²Korla Fragrant Pear Research Center，Korla，Xinjiang 841000，China

Received:2024-07-20 Revised:2025-01-21 Online:2025-04-25 Published:2025-04-25
Contact: TIAN Jia

Abstract

Abstract: To clarify the characteristics of programmed cell death and the regulatory signals in the calyx abscission induced by ethephon in Korla fragrant pear，in this study，Korla fragrant pears were used as the research material，and applied 300 mg · L^-1 ethephon and equal volume of distilled water（the control）at the large bud stage. Young fruits were collected before abscission zone formation，during abscission zone formation，and after abscission zone formation. The external morphological characteristics of calyx abscission and the microscopic and ultrastructural features of the abscission zone cells under different treatments were observed. The ethylene concentration，reactive oxygen species levels，and Ca²⁺
content in the abscission zone of decalyx fruits and corresponding parts of the abscission zone of persistent calyx fruits during the abscission process were measured. The results showed that under the ethephon treatment，the external morphological characteristics，microscopic structure，and ultrastructure of the abscission zone cells in Korla fragrant pears were consistent with those of the control during the calyx abscission. Before and during abscission zone formation，the ethylene concentration in the abscission zone of decalyx fruits and the corresponding parts of persistent calyx fruits induced by ethephon significantly increased compared to the control，with increases of 137.38% and 15.02%（decalyx fruit） and 294.95% and 110.16%（persistent calyx fruit），respectively. During the abscission zone formation period，the hydroxyl radical clearance rate，superoxide anion production rate，and Ca²⁺ content in the abscission zone of decalyx fruits under ethephon induction were all significantly higher than the control，being 33.88%，9.38%，and 15.02% of the control，respectively. In summary，exogenous ethephon accelerated the programmed cell death in calyx cells of Korla fragrant pears by increasing the ethylene concentration，reactive oxygen species levels，and Ca²⁺ content in the abscission zone of decalyx fruit，thereby promoting calyx abscission.

Key words: korla fragrant pear, ethylene, calyx abscission, programmed cell death, cellular structure, active oxygen, calcium ion

CLC Number:

S 661.2

WEN Yue, SHAOBAI Junjie, SUN Tianyu, ZHANG Shuqin, WANG Chunfeng, TIAN Jia. Study on the Characteristics and Regulatory Signals of Programmed Cell Death in the Abscission Zone of Korla Fragrant Pear Induced by Ethephon[J]. Acta Horticulturae Sinica, 2025, 52(4): 959-972.

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Study on the Characteristics and Regulatory Signals of Programmed Cell Death in the Abscission Zone of Korla Fragrant Pear Induced by Ethephon

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