ETHYLENE-INDUCED CHANGES IN APPEARANCE AND HORMONE CONTENT OF FLORIDA GROWN CABBAGE

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. capitata), freshly harvested and market-trimmed in Florida, was stored for 5 wk at 1 C ± 0.5 C in air containing 0.04, 1, 10 and 100 ppm ethylene. At the highest two ethylene concentrations, market quality was reduced due to loss of external green color and extensive leaf abscission. Similar external changes were seen in cabbage reported to have been stored with apples. Hormonal changes associated with these high ethylene concentrations were disappearance of an abscisic acid-type inhibitor and accumulation of auxins at the apical region.