Ethylene Production in Spinach Leaves during Floral Induction

Spinach plants were induced to flower by transferring them fromshort days to continuous light. Their leaf laminae releasedmore ethylene than those from vegetative plants. These leavesalso exhibited a greater capacity to convert exogenous ACC intoethylene. Cell wall preparations from the leaves of continuouslyilluminated plants also converted exogenous ACC into ethylenemore readily than extracts from short day plants. These effectsand also those previously reported for peroxidases appear verysimilar to these brought about by various environmental stressessuch as pollution and mechanical irritation. Key words: Ethylene, floral induction, stress, photoperiod, spinach