ISHS Acta Horticulturae 487: VI International Symposium on Processing Tomato & Workshop on Irrigation & Fertigation of Processing Tomato
ACTIVATED LYCOPENE BIOSYNTHESIS IN TOMATO FRUIT IN VITRO |
| Author: | Betty K. Ishida |
| Keywords: | tomato, lycopene, Lycopersicon esculentum, fruit, calyx, ripening |
| Abstract:
Tomato calyces (Lycopersicum esculentum cv. VFNT Cherry) develop into fruit tissue in vitro at 16–22°C. Calyces swell, turn red, and produce ethylene, flavor volatiles, lycopene, and sugars characteristic of ripe fruit. Recently we showed that ripe calyces have high tomato AGAMOUS (TAGI) RNA, which also increases in ripening fruit. In both tissues, TAGI expression was correlated with degree of ripening. We also found high lycopene levels in fruit cultured in vitro at 16°C (580 ± 70 μg g-1 fresh weight), approximately ten times higher than in standard field and greenhouse tomatoes. In our studies, lycopene concentration correlates well with TAGI expression, suggesting a causal relationship. The large increase in lycopene resulted from a cool temperature-induced mechanism in which TAGI is activated. This activation seems to play a key role in ripening and induction of carotenoid biosynthesis. | |
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