Ethylene responses in abscission and other processes of cell separation in Arabidopsis.

Early abscission or detachment of an organ from the main body of a plant can result in unwanted crop loss and decrease in the quality of the fruit harvested. For many decades it has been observed that gassing plants with ethylene will often hasten abscission, and greenhouse flower growers are careful to avoid any unwanted ethylene. As new genes regulating abscis sion are identified, scientists have also begun to try to understand how these genes interact with genes regulating ethylene and other hormone responses. Gene expression and genetic analysis indicates that ethylene can affect the abscission process at two distinct phases during the abscission process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]