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Annals of Botany 30: 493-512, 1966
© 1966 Annals of Botany Company

RESEARCH-ARTICLE

The Distribution of Growth and Cell Division in the Fruit of Cox's Orange Pippin

D. S. SKENE

East Mailing Research Station Maidstone, Kent1

An apple fruit may be treated as approximately spherical, but allometric analysis shows that its growth is far from uniformly distributed throughout its tissues. Along the fruit axis, longitudinal (i.e. lengthwise) growth is most rapid at the eye end and slowest at the stalk end, and in each region is slower than transverse growth in the equatorial zone (i.e. growth in diameter). On the surface of the fruit cheek longitudinal growth is most rapid in the equatorial region and slower at the stalk and eye ends; growth at the eye end is slightly slower than at the stalk end. Near the equator, longitudinal growth of the cheek is also faster than latitudinal growth, despite the slower growth in over-all fruit length. In the transverse plane at the equator, growth is initially much faster in the cortex (the outer tissues) than in the pith (the inner tissues). Later, about one month after blossom, there is practically no difference in the growth-rates of the cortex and pith.

The change in the relative transverse growth-rates of the cortex and pith occurs at about the same time as cell division in the cortex stops, and at this time also there is an increase in the rate of expansion of the air-spaces, relative to growth in fruit diameter. Other aspects of growth, such as growth in over-all length or weight, both relative to fruit diameter, do not appear to change in any way when cell division stops.

Cell division in the epidermis continues for a longer time than in the cortex, and accounts for a greater proportion of tissue growth. Allometric analysis of growth in cell size shows that cell division in the epidermis stops when the fruit is about 45 mm in diameter, or about 65–70 days after blossom. The same data show that in the stalk and eye cavities, longitudinal growth of the cheek is substantially faster than latitudinal growth.


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L. Drazeta, A. Lang, A. J. Hall, R. K. Volz, and P. E. Jameson
Air volume measurement of 'Braeburn' apple fruit
J. Exp. Bot., May 1, 2004; 55(399): 1061 - 1069.
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