Menopause (Botany)

Menopause or menopausal breathing (from the ancient Greek. Κλιμακτήρ - stair tread) - a temporary sharp rise in breathing in the fruits of a number of plants at the end of their maturation. Climacteric respiration and fruit ripening are initiated by the endogenous production of ethylene , a hormone that stimulates fruit ripening ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} . In agricultural practice, inhibitors of ethylene synthesis are often used to prevent premature transition to menopause, and exogenous ethylene or ethylene-forming preparations (ethephon and others) are used to initiate fruit ripening ^[5] .

Observed in the fruits of many plants ( apples , avocados , bananas , melons , apricots , tomatoes ) ^[4] . Climacteric breathing is not typical for citrus fruits , grapes , strawberries . Despite this, there are now non-climacteric varieties of melons and apricots on the one hand, and on the other hand, strawberries and grapes have active ethylene receptor proteins.

Menopause is an energy process that represents the highest ripeness of the fruit. Following menopause, there is a decrease in the intensity of respiration to the level of an unripe fetus, and the aging of its tissues begins. Menopause is also usually associated with a change in:

• the pigment composition of the fruit (the most typical appearance of bright color);
• with the collapse of stored starch to soluble sugars ( glucose , fructose , sucrose );
• with the formation and accumulation of organic acids due to the oxidation of sugars;
• with a change in the rigidity of the cell walls as a result of the hydrolysis of polysaccharides by the pectinases contained in them.

After completion of menopause, the fruits become more vulnerable to invasion of pathogens and saprotrophs (fungi, bacteria), the process of cell death begins.