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 Yue¹, SHAOBAI Junjie¹, SUN Tianyu¹, ZHANG Shuqin¹, WANG Chunfeng², TIAN Jia¹()

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

Received:2024-07-20 Revised:2025-01-21 Online:2025-05-08 Published:2025-04-25

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

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.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1 Sampling diagram for decalyx and persistent calyx fruits of Korla fragrant pear

Fig. 2 Changes in external morphological characteristics of Korla fragrant pear during calyx abscission in the water（control）and under ethephon treatment

Fig. 3 Cross-sectional microscopic structures of calyx tubes in different periods of decalyx fruit and persistent calyx fruit of Korla fragrant pear in the water（control）and under ethephon treatment a-d were the microstructures of the decalyx fruit at different periods（pre-zone formation，zone formation，and post-zone formation）detachment，respectively；e-g were the microstructures of the persistent calyx fruit at different periods（pre-zone formation，zone formation，post-zone formation），respectively. DS：Distal side；PS：Proximal side；VB：Vascular bundle；V：Vessel；ST：Sieve tube. The same below

Fig. 4 Longitudinal section microscopic structures of calyx tubes in different periods of decalyx fruit and persistent calyx fruits of Korla fragrant pear in the water（control）and under ethephon treatment AZ：Abscission zone；PL：Protective layer

Fig. 5 Cellular ultrastructure of programmed cell death during calyx detachment of Korla fragrant pear in the water（control）and under ethephon treatment N：Nucleus；Nu：Nucleolus；S：Starch granule；M：Mitochondrion；GA：Golgi apparatus；Chl：Chloroplast；Pm：Plasma membrane；Pb：Plastid goblet；CW：Cell wall

Fig. 6 Changes in ethylene concentration during PCD in calyx of Korla fragrant pear in the water（control）and under ethephon treatment ** indicated that significant different at 0.01 level in the same period at different treatment；* indicated that significant different at 0.05 level in the same period at different treatment. The same below

Fig. 7 Changes in reactive oxygen species levels during PCD in calyx of Korla fragrant pear in the water（control）and under ethephon treatment

Fig. 8 Changes in calcium ion content of korla fragrant pear during PCD in calyx in the water（control）and under ethephon treatment

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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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