Spark to blaze: the role of ethylene in achenes and the ripple influences on strawberry fruit growth and ripening

Abstract

Strawberry, considered to be a model for non-climacteric fruits, has traditionally been viewed as having a less pronounced reliance on ethylene in fruit development. However, the inherent tissue heterogeneity within strawberry fruit, coupled with variable ethylene production levels, suggests a potential role for ethylene in the maturation of the true fruit, the achenes, dispersed on the fleshy receptacle. This intricate process is likely to exert ripple effects on the subsequent growth and ripening of the receptacle. To comprehensively unravel the functions of ethylene in strawberry fruit, there is a need for ethylene detection sensors, ethylene response reporter transgenic plants, and genetically engineered mutants achieved through genome editing, encompassing both biosynthesis and signaling mutants.

Keywords

• ethylene
• strawberry
• achene
• fruit
• biosensor
• hetergeneous tissues