THE RESPIRATORY METABOLISM OF McINTOSH APPLES DURING ONTOGENY, AS DETERMINED AT 22° C

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Abstract
A number of continuous respiration records of Mclntosh apples, produced by samples of apples taken throughout the whole ontogeny of the fruits, and stored at 22[degree] C, are presented. A complete respiration record of a fruit consists of a preclimacteric and a climacteric period. The relative importance of these 2 periods in various stages of fruit ontogeny is described. The earliest records are represented by the preclimacteric and the latest by the climacteric periods only. A tentative explanation is given of changes in a complete respiration record, based on the assumption that these are due to variations in the conc. of the respiratory substrate. Fungal infection apparently took place only after an apple had reached a definite physiol. stage of its starvation, and when disintegration of its protoplasmic organization already was taking place. Fungal infection, consequently, was one of the consequences of death, not the cause of it. The life in days is given for the apples in various stages of their ontogeny. From the beginning of July and onward, a direct proportionality is observed between the duration of life, and the total amts. of the CO2 produced by apples in the climacteric period of their respiration. The value of the reported work is considered to be 2-fold: it gives a general idea of the respiratory metabolism of Mclntosh apples during their ontogeny; and it may serve as a kind of time table, so that if in the future it is decided to investigate in detail any particular stage of metabolism, one can choose for this purpose the best suited age of apples, and one knows how far apart samples for analysis should be taken.

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