Skip Navigation



AOBPreview published online on January 10, 2005
Annals of Botany, doi:10.1093/aob/mci065
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
95/4/571    most recent
mci065v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by HO, L. C.
Right arrow Articles by WHITE, P. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by HO, L. C.
Right arrow Articles by WHITE, P. J.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by HO, L. C.
Right arrow Articles by WHITE, P. J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Annals of Botany, © Annals of Botany Company 2005; all rights reserved
Received September 2, 2004
Revised October 19, 2004
Accepted November 19, 2004

Invited Review

A Cellular Hypothesis for the Induction of Blossom-End Rot in Tomato Fruit

LIM C. HO 1 and PHILIP J. WHITE 1*

1 Warwick HRI, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, UK

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
PHILIP J. WHITE, E-mail: philip-j.white{at}warwick.ac.uk


  Abstract

• Background The incidence of blossom-end rot (BER) is generally associated with a calcium (Ca) deficiency in the distal portion of tomato fruits. The visible symptom is a necrotic lesion, which is presumed to be a consequence of cell death and the subsequent leakage of solutes into the extracellular space. Environmental factors that affect either fruit cell expansion or Ca delivery to the distal portion of the fruit influence the occurrence of BER. However, since no absolute, critical fruit Ca concentration for the occurrence of BER has been identified, it is now important to define the role of Ca in fruit cell physiology and to seek the cause of BER at the cellular level.

• Hypothesis Here, it is suggested that BER is initiated by a cellular dysfunction in the distal portion of a young fruit during rapid cell expansion. It is proposed that insufficient Ca2+ is available for critical apoplastic and cytoplasmic functions when the cellular Ca demand imposed by vacuolation exceeds the Ca delivery to an expanding cell. A local Ca deficiency, therefore, may result in aberrant intracellular Ca2+ signals, a weakening of cell walls and a loss of cellular integrity. Ultimately it may lead to cell death and the visible symptoms of BER. Several experimental strategies are suggested to confirm the occurrence of aberrant Ca2+ concentrations in cells contributing to BER.

• Perspective Many genetic and genomic resources are becoming available for tomato. Ultimately, these will allow genes affecting the occurrence of BER to be identified. Such knowledge will inform breeding strategies to eliminate BER. In the meanwhile, increasing the apoplastic Ca concentration in susceptible fruit tissue should provide a simple and reliable, practical solution for the prevention of BER in tomatoes. It is suggested that current horticultural practices, such as the manipulation of the mineral composition of the feed or the growth environment, are not completely effective in reducing BER because they affect apoplastic Ca concentration in fruit tissue indirectly. Therefore, spraying Ca directly onto young fruits is recommended for the prevention of BER.

Keywords: Annexin, blossom-end rot (BER), calcium (Ca2+), environmental conditions, fruit, mineral nutrition, phloem, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), xylem.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
S. Park, N. H. Cheng, J. K. Pittman, K. S. Yoo, J. Park, R. H. Smith, and K. D. Hirschi
Increased Calcium Levels and Prolonged Shelf Life in Tomatoes Expressing Arabidopsis H+/Ca2+ Transporters
Plant Physiology, November 1, 2005; 139(3): 1194 - 1206.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

E-letters:

Read all E-letters

Comments on a cellular hypothesis
M ax C. Saure
Annals of Botany, 7 Feb 2006 [Full text]

Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.