Tomato Ripening

Tomato fruit is climacteric. It is so because the tomato fruits ripen in tomato plants before the fruits are picked and ripening goes on after they are harvested. The ripening also starts after the fruit is harvested. In other words, the tomato fruits undergo ripening before and after the harvest. The ripening also starts in the tomato fruits, which are harvested before they attain full size. Very high temperature during fruit filling duration makes the size of tomato fruits smaller. Even then ripening occurs in the tomato fruits.

If the nutrient level is poor in the soils, fruits do not grow very well. This way the fruits cannot attain its characteristic size, but fruit ripening occurs. In such circumference, the gardeners cannot succeed in growing tomatoes. If there is very low moisture content in the soils; the fruits cannot grow properly, the fruits develop very poorly; the tomato fruits cannot attain the full size. Such tomato fruits too undergo ripening even though the fruits cannot attain its full size. In such circumstance, growing tomatoes cannot be successful.

Tomato ripening means increased respiration rate, spontaneous ethylene production, synthesis of tomato lycopene and conversion of some other bio-chemicals of the tomato fruits. In the phenomenon of tomato ripening; chlorophyll degrades, starch disappears and tomato fruits start synthesizing tomato flavoring substance. The fruits also make a cell wall-hybridizing enzyme called as polygalacturonase. The synthesis of the lycopene can occur whether the tomato fruits are in the plants or not. The synthesis of the lycopene occurs after the tomato fruits are harvested at young or matured stage.

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