Ethylene, plant senescence and abscission

Abstract

Evidence supporting the hypothesis that ethylene is involved in the control of senescence and abscission is reviewed. The data indicate that ethylene causes abscission in vivo by inhibiting auxin synthesis and transport or enhancing auxin destruction, thus lowering the diffusible auxin level. Studies with isolated leaves and explants suggest that the gas also may influence abscission by accelerating senescence and through an action on plant cell walls. Freshly prepared explants produce ethylene at a rate which must be high enough to maximally affect the tissue and this may explain why these explants (stage I) cannot respond to applied ethylene.