Relationship between Chlorophylls and Carotenoids of Ripening Tomato Fruit as Influenced by Potassium Nutrition

Studies of fruit pigmentation at various stages of ripeningshowed that the chlorophylls generally decreased as the totalcarotenoids increase during ripening. At any stage of ripening,the carotenoid content of K-deficient fruit was lower than thatof normal fruit. The relationship between the two pigment systemswas altered by the K. status of the fruit. When the rate ofcarotenogenesis was low (green and red stages), the chlorophyllswere higher in high K-fruit than in K-deficient fruit. Whenthe rate of carotenoid synthesis was rapid (breaker to lightred stages), the chlorophyll level of K-deficient fruit washigher than that of normal fruit.