Production of Ethylene by Some Ripening Fruits

IT was observed by Ebner1 in 1931 that the presence of ripe apples and pears—but not oranges or bananas—caused abnormalities in the sprouting of potato tubers ; and Huelin2 pointed out that the effects were similar to those produced in potato sprouts by exposure to ethylene. Later, Smith and the writer3 showed that the growth of pea seedlings was affected by an active substance produced by ripe apples, again with results which were paralleled by ethylene.