African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12486

Full Length Research Paper

Changes in endogenous hormone concentrations during inflorescence induction and development in pineapple (Ananas comosus cv. Smooth Cayenne) by ethephon

Liu Sheng-hui1,2, Zang Xiao-ping1,2 and Sun Guang-ming1,2*
  1South Subtropical Crops Research Institute of CATAS, Zhangjiang 524091, China. 2National Center of Important Tropical Crops Engineering and Technology Research, Haikou 571300, China.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 18 July 2011
  •  Published: 14 September 2011

Abstract

 

This study investigated the changes of five endogenous hormones in the shoot apex and the white bases of D-leaf during the inflorescence induction and development of ‘Smooth Cayenne’ pineapple, using 14-month-old pot-grown plants as material and ethephon as flower forcing agent. Results showed that application of ethephon increased the level of endogenous ethylene (C2H4), abscisic acid (ABA) and 2-isopentyl adenine (2-iP) while it decreased the concentration of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA3) and zeatin (ZT), and led to the transition of vegetative growth to inflorescence initiation. After inflorescence initiation, the contents of C2H4, ABA and 2-iP declined but the contents of IAA, ABA and ZT increased. These results indicated that low levels of IAA, GA3 and ZT and high levels of C2H4, ABA and 2-iP facilitated inflorescence initiation, while high levels of ZT, IAA and GAand low levels of C2H4 and ABA facilitated inflorescence development.

 

Key words: Pineapple, inflorescence initiation, inflorescence development, endogenous hormone.

Abbreviation

ABA, Abscisic acid; ZT, zeatin; IAA, indole-3-acetic acid; GA3,gibberellic acid; C2H4, ethylene; 2iP, 2-isopentyl adenine; AVG,aminoethoxyvinylglycine; HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography; FID,flame ionization detector; GC, gas chromatograph