REGULATION OF FRUIT RIPENING USING PLANT GROWTH

REGULATOR

By :
Nahdlini Salma Sabila (B1B017002)
Pratiwi Kusuma K (B1B017007)
Mellya Rizki P (B1B017031)
Fakhri Naufal R (B1B017022)
Group :2
Entourage : D1
Assistant : Juniar Susiani

PRACTICAL REPORT OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY II

MINISTRY OF RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND HIGHER EDUCATION

JENDERAL SOEDIRMAN UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF BIOLOGY
PURWOKERTO
2019
 I. INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Plant growth regulator (PGR) has a very important role for plant growth and
development. Growth regulating substances or plant hormones (Phyto hormones) are
non-nutrient organic compounds, small amounts of PGR can stimulate, inhibit and
can change plant physiology. Plant growth regulators make an important contribution
in the world of agriculture. An understanding of the function and role of hormones in
plant growth and development is a must to learn. Because using these hormones must
be done properly (Wirasaputra et al., 2017).
Fruits have an important source of vitamins, minerals, and other substances in
supporting nutritional adequacy. Fruits can be consumed raw or cooked. The fruit
consumed is fruit that has reached the mature level. Increasing ripe fruit yields in
quality and quantity can be cultivated with certain substances, among others, with
ethylene growth regulators. Ethylene can be found in fruit ripening or even
preventing the production and activity of ethylene in fruit storage businesses.
Ethylene is known in ripe fruit by ropica fruit carriers during shipping from Yamaika
to Europe in 1934, further cooking bananas emit gas which can also spur ripening
rippled fruit. Since then ethylene (C2 = H2) has been used as a means of ripening
fruit in industry (Abidin, 1985).
Banana fruit is a tropical fruit that is very popular with people because it
tastes good and sweet when cooked, but the availability of ripe bananas on the
market is very lacking and the maturity of bananas is usually not uniform. The
ripening process of bananas is a process of accumulating sugar by overhauling starch
into a simpler compound. Unlike fruit in general, it accumulates sugar directly from
the assimilate delivery resulting from photosynthesis in leaves which is generally
sent to other organs in the form of sucrose (Anderson & Beardall, 1991). Kepok
bananas in the Philippines are known as banana saba, while in Malaysia it is known
as banana nipah. The fruit is delicious to eat after being processed first. The shape of
the fruit is rather flat so that sometimes called sprawl fruit. The weight of the order
can reach 14-22 kg with the number of combs 10-16. Each comb consists of 12-20
pieces. When ripe the skin color is full yellow fruit (Wirasaputra et al., 2017).
B. Purpose

The objective of this laboratory activity is to determine the concentration of

growth regulators that able to accelerate the ripening of fruit
 II. LITERATURE

Mature fruits undergo various changes in chemistry and physiology,

including the accumulation of nutrient compounds such as carbohydrates and
proteins coordinated with the conversion of starch to sugar, synthesis of
characteristic pigments, evolution of volatile scents, and texture modification through
changes in cell walls, cuticles, and hydraulics, which is considered softening. This
closely coordinated chemical and physiological change increases the attractiveness of
adult fruits for organisms that spread seeds. Fruit ripening, or ripening, takes place
through a period of optimal interest and quality to the phase described by postharvest
biologists as overripening and, finally, aging (Giovannoni et al., 2017).
During the development of the fruit later, the integrity of the cell becomes
disturbed, opportunistic pathogens attack, and tissue decay and aging occur. The
development of this development, in which fruit organs change from organs (like
other plant parts) is very resistant to decay to rapidly decay - ensuring that seed
release occurs when other dispersal vectors are insufficient or unavailable.
Remarkably, mature fleshy fruit regulates both deactivation of defensive barriers that
continue to operate in other plant organs and molecular changes that make the fruit
not only attractive, but also tasty and nutritious for commensal seed dispersers. The
basis of molecular maturation and genetics has been the subject of intensive research
for a long time because of the uniqueness of fruit organs and their practical relevance
for food security and nutrition. Early studies on maturation regulations focused on
the role of ethylene due to the clear and profound effect that this simple gas plant
hormone has on fruit ripening (Giovannoni et al., 2017).
Fruit based on the content of starch (starch), divided into climatic fruit
and non-climatic fruit. Climatic fruit is a fruit that contains a lot of starch, such as
bananas, mangoes, apples and avocados which can be spurred with ethylene
maturity. This fruit shows sudden CO2 production which rises high when ripe. Half-
baked climatic fruit can be bred. The result is ripe fruit and tastes good and looks
good. However, the less old climateric fruit can ripen, but the fruit quality is not
good, the sour taste is high, tasteless, and the fruit skin color is less attractive
(Afandi, 1984). Non-climateric fruit is a fruit with little starch content, such as
oranges, grapes, watermelon and pineapple. Giving ethylene to this type of fruit can
spur respiration rate, but it cannot spur endogenous ethylene production and fruit
ripening. Non-climacteric fruit is a fruit that is approaching maturity and the
respiratory rate decreases and does not show a climacteric phase. The fruit does not
show a response if given ethylene treatment (Synge, 2013).
Banana is a fruit plant in the form of herbs originating from Southeast Asia
(including Indonesia), Africa (Madagascar), South and Central America. The sweet
taste makes many who like to eat this fruit, even monkeys are fans of this fruit. This
yellow-skinned fruit in addition to delicious consumption turned out to have myriad
benefits. From health to beauty, it will be obtained for those who diligently consume
bananas. Banana will ripen quickly when given ethylene treatment because bananas
have a natural ethylene content so that the ripening process occurs faster (Satuhu,
2007).
Ethylene is a non-saturated hydrocarbon compound which is in the form of
gas. These compounds can cause important changes in the process of growth and
maturation of agricultural products. Ethylene is a growth regulator that is active in
maturation, it can also be called a hormone because it fulfills the requirement as a
hormone, which is produced by plants. It is a growth hormone that is generally
different from auxin, giberellin and cytokinin. Under normal circumstances, ethylene
will form a gas and its chemical structure is very simple. In nature ethylene will play
a role if there is a physiological change in a plant. This hormone will play a role in
the fruit ripening process in the climatic phase, such as breaking potato tuber
dormancy, inducing leaf release or leaf abscission, inducing pineapple flowering
(Pratisto, 2004).
Ethylene hormones based on their shape can be gas, solid, and liquid.
ethylene hormone in liquid form, for example is ethrel (2-cchloroethyphosponic
acid), in the form of gas it can be ethylene, and in solid form it can be in the form of
carbide. The advantages of Etrel are easily obtained, because it is in liquid form so
that it can be more easily evenly distributed throughout the fruit section. The form of
gas in the form of Ethylene is a hormone in the form of gas which in active plant life
in the process of fruit ripening. The application contains ethephones, so the
performance of ethylene synthetics runs optimally so that the aim is to make fruit
ripen quickly. (for example: Etephon, Protephon) trademarks include: Prothephon
480SL. Ethylene gas is found in old fruits (Vitriyatul, 2012). Carbide is only
composed of CaC2 to form Ethylene (C2H2) must react with water (H2O), besides
that we do not know the concentration, (Simbolon 1991).
 Ethylene is formed from methionine through 3 processes, ATP is an
important component in ethylene synthesis. ATP and water will make methionine
lose 3 phosphate groups. 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACC-
synthase) then facilitates the production of ACC and SAM (S-adenosyl methionine).
Oxygen is needed to oxidize ACC and produce ethylene. This reaction is catalyzed
using ethylene-forming enzymes (McKeon et al., 1995)
There are some research of ethylene hormone for fruit ripening the one
example is research about ethylene pathway genes during the development, ripening,
and postharvest response in Citrus reticulata Blanco. fruit pulp. The role of ACS2,
ERS1, CTR1, and EIL1 genes in the ripening of Khasi mandarin Citrus reticulata
fruit pulp. Researcher noted that postharvest storage at 4 °C and 20 °C influenced the
expression of different ethylene-related genes during ripening in Khasi mandarin
fruit pulp. ACS1, ACS2, and ERS1 were the most receptive to the postharvest stress
response. The results of the study confirm that cold storage induces ethylene
biosynthesis in the pulp of Khasi mandarin fruit. Researcher study suggests that the
feedback regulation in chilled Khasi mandarin fruit pulp responded well to the flow
in GA3 content following exogenous application of GA3 under specific stress
conditions. The results demonstrated that exogenous application of GA3 enhanced
cold tolerance especially at the transcript level of ACS1, ACS2, ETR1, and ERS1
genes in the pulp of Khasi mandarin fruit during cold storage when harvested at the
full maturity stage. The findings of the study provide an insight into the mechanisms
by which GA3 mediates fruit tolerance to chilling stress during long-term cold
storage, and it might be possible to develop effective approaches for postharvest
chilling stress management of nonclimacteric fruit. This work might act as a baseline
to establish a possible role for ethylene in the natural process of ripening in
nonclimacteric citrus fruit pulp and help people to understand the effect of
temperature on postharvest storage of Khasi mandarin fruit pulp (Kashyap & Banu,
2017).
Other research example is about the regulatory module MdPUB29 -
MdbHLH3 connects ethylene biosynthesis with fruit quality in apple. New insights
into the ubiquitination of MdbHLH3 by glucose -inhibited ubiquitin E3 ligase
MdPUB29 in the regulation of ethylene and accumulation of quality components
such as anthocyanins in apple. As a major regulatory node, bHLH TF MdbHLH3 is
linked to fruit ripening signaling of quality components, including glucose and
anthocyanins. Overall, these findings provide a novel molecular basis for the
crosstalk between ethylene and fruit quality in plants. These may also be useful in
developing novel biotechnological strategies as well as in guiding traditional
breeding programs in creating new cultivars with improved fruit quality and with
different degrees of ripeness in fleshy fruits (Hu et al., 2018).
 III. MATERIALS AND METHODS

A. Material

The tools that e used in this practical lab activity are Measuring glass, stir bar,
beaker glass, and an analytical scale.
The material that we used in this practical lab activity are kapok bananas,
Ethrel (2 chloroetylphosphonic acid), papers, and distilled water.

B. Methods
 III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

A. Result

Table 4.1.1 Observation of Banana’s Ripening

Concentration Color Aroma
1 3 5 7 9 1 3 5 7 9
0 ppm + + + + + + + ++
300 ppm + + + + + + + ++
600 ppm + + ++ +++ + + + ++
900 ppm + + +++ ++++ + + ++ +++

Concentration Texture Taste

1 3 5 7 9 1 3 5 7 9
0 ppm + + + + + + + + +
300 ppm + + + + + + + + ++
600 ppm + + + +++ + + + ++ +++
900 ppm + + + ++++ + + + ++ +++
Interpretation :
+ : Change of color, texture and aroma low
++ : Change of color, texture and aroma medium
+++ : Change of color, texture and aroma high
++++ : Change of color, texture and aroma very high

Figure 4.1 Banana 0 ppm 5 days Figure 4.2 Banana 300 ppm 5
days
Figure 4.3 Banana 900 ppm 5 days Figure 4.4 Banana 600 ppm 5
days

Figure 4.5 Banana 0 ppm 7 days Figure 4.6 Banana 300 ppm 7
days

Figure 4.7 Banana 900 ppm 9 days Figure 4.8 Banana 600 ppm 9
days
B. Discussion
Practically the ripening of fruit uses bananas as an object to see the effect of
ethylene in fruit ripening. Ethylene concentrations used were 0 ppm, 300 ppm, 600
ppm and 900 ppm. Based on the results of the practicum, bananas which have been
soaked with ethrel which show that the fruits given ethylene treatment with a
concentration of 900 ppm ripen faster than with a treatment of 0 ppm, 300 ppm and
600 ppm, all fruits ripen on the third day with soft fruit texture and yellow , while the
aroma appears on the third day. The higher the concentration used the faster the
process of ripening of bananas. This is because at a concentration of 900 ppm
bananas have decreased protein content and damage to the mitochondria so that the
respiratory and ATP production also decreases, besides that bananas are a fruit group
that has a high starch content so that during storage 2-3 days the banana still contains
starch 20- 30%, but after 4-5 days the starch content will drop by approximately 4%
(Kusumo, 1984).
Palmer (1971), argues that the maturity indicator of a banana is the fruit's skin
color changes from green then begins to turn yellow and begins to increase ethylene.
Real changes are changes in water content, respiration rate, acidity, carbohydrate,
pectin, protopectin, and tannin.
1. Become a Soft Fruit Skin and Fruit Meat
The ripening process in bananas is softly marked by fruit flesh. This is due to
the dissolution of insoluble protopectin to be practically soluble. The substances are
derivatives of polyalgalactic acid and found in the form of protopectin, pectin,
pectinic acids and pectic acids. When the fruit ripens, the soluble pectate and
pectinate content increases, while the total amount of pectate decreases. This
tendency is also present in bananas. In the change in pectin, the fruit's toughness
decreases, so the fruit becomes soft.
2. Amylum rollout
Hydrolysis Amylum is perfect by acids or specific enzymes on polysaccharides
to produce monosaccharides or derivative compounds increase in sucrose, glucose
and fructose during maturation.
3. Changing Fruit Skin Color
The first fruit maturity color is the loss of green. Yellowing of a banana occurs
due to the loss of chlorophyll without or only a small amount of pure carotenoid
formation. Some authors report that the enzyme chlorophilase is responsible for the
breakdown of chlorophyll. The hydrolytic activity of chlorophyllase which breaks
down chlorophyll is part of phytol and porphyrin nuclei. Chlorophyll, especially in
an acidic atmosphere, can also silence Mg ++ ions in the center of the porphyrin
group and turn into feophytin, then a color change occurs. But not the loss of color.
4. Change of Aroma
Maturation usually increases the amount of simple sugars that give a sweet
taste, decreases organic acids and phenolic compounds which reduce the taste of
sepet and acid, and increase the volatile substances which are the typical member
flavors. Changing fatty acids during maturation banana. The results show that the
fruit contains acetic acid, propionate, isobutane, and isivalate both in free and bound
forms. The free content of isobutanic, butyric and isovaleric acids increases rapidly
and the time of attachment coincides with the arising of the fruit aroma.
According to Abidin (1985) the factors that influence the activity or work of
ethylene, namely, temperature, high temperature (> 35ºC), ethylene formation does
not occur. Optimum temperature of ethylene formation (tomatoes, apples) 32ºC
while other fruits are lower. Second, Mechanical and infectious wounds, broken fruit,
bruises, abrasions during transport of fruit, so ethylene will center on that part, be
eaten and become caterpillar nests. Third, radioactive rays, the use of radioactive
rays can stimulate the formation of ethylene. an example of a fruit which is
illuminated by gamma rays of 600 krad can accelerate the formation of ethylene, if
given at pre-climatic. However, if at climatic time, the use of this radiation beam can
inhibit production of methylene. Fourth, The presence of O2 and CO2, if O2 is
lowered and CO2 is increased, the ripening process is inhibited. And if anaerobic
conditions do not occur, ethylene formation does not occur. Fifth, Interaction with
auxin hormone, when auxin concentration increases, ethylene will also increase.
Sixth, The level of maturity, the mechanism of ripening fruit by ethylene begins with
protein synthesis at a normal maturation level. Protein is synthesized as soon as
possible in the ripening process. According to Abidin (1985) namely
Concentration, higher concentration, the fruit will ripen quickly, KMNO4, KMNO4
functions as ethylene scavanger that captures ethylene gas so that the ripening
process is rapid, Addition of carbide, addition of carbide causes ethylene
concentration to increase causing fruit ripening speed, ethelene gas, with the
presence of ethylene gas can accelerate fruit ripening. Fruit ripening is an
unavoidable and irreversible physiological process during which the overall fruit
quality radically changes. In just a few days, fruit quality improves until it reaches its
optimum and then declines until the fruit becomes inedible due to overripening.
Stakeholders withinthe supply chainhave tomanage fruit ripening in order to provide
the best fruit quality to consumers (Nordey et al., 2016)
Ethylene is regarded as a multifunctional phytohormone that regulates both
growth, and senescence. It promotes or inhibits growth and senescence processes
depending on its concentration, timing of application, and the plant species. The
application of ethephon, an ethylene releasing compound enhanced ethylene
evolution and increased leaf area of mustard at a lower concentration, while inhibited
at higher concentration (Iqbal et al, 2017)
 IV. CONCLUSION

A. Conclusion

Based on the result and discussion, it can be conclude that the concentration of
Ethrel solution that can accelerate the ripening of fruit is on 900 ppm with
interpretation color and texture change very high in last day also aroma and taste
change high in last day.

B. Suggestion
We suggest that, it would be better if students are more careful when
conducting a series of practical steps so that accurate results are obtained.
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