Fig. 2
Exposure to exogenous ethylene reversed the O3-mediated ripening inhibition in kiwifruit. Following 4 or 6 months of cold storage plus 8 or 1 d maintenance at 20 °C (indicated with grey arrows), respectively, kiwifruit exposed to 1-MCP and/or O3 (see Fig. 1) were further treated with exogenous ethylene (100 μL L− 1, 20 °C, 90% RH, 24 h) and their ripening was characterized for up to 14 d. Changes during kiwifruit ripening at 20 °C in ethylene emission rate (a, c), respiration rate (b, d), firmness of outer pericarp (e, g) and core tissue (f, h). Kiwifruit phenotypes at 8 d of ripening at 20 °C following 6 months of cold storage (i). Values represent the mean of three replicates of 10 fruits each that were analyzed at each ripening time point. Markers and lines in grey represent kiwifruit untreated with exogenous ethylene as in Fig. 1. Vertical bars in figure plates represent the least significant difference (LSD, P = 0.05), which was used for comparisons of means between treatments (exposed or not to exogenous ethylene) and ripening time points