Abstract:

This experiment was carried out to study changes in sorbitol content and its related enzyme activities during peach (Amygdalus persica) fruit development, in order to find any relationship between sorbitol and splitting. The contents of sorbitol and the activities of sorbitol-metabolizing enzymes, including sorbitoldehydrogenase (SDH), sorbitoloxidase (SOX) were studied in different development of wild peach and cultivating peach ‘Jiubao’. At first period of fruit development, the content of sorbitol in mesocarp of wild peach was higher than that of ‘Jiubao’, the activities of SDH and SOX were the same. In second period of fruit development, the content of sorbitol in endocarp of wild peach was higher than that of ‘Jiubao’, but the activities of enzyme was opposite. In this period, the metabolism of sorbitol was more active to benefit the hardening of endocarp. In the third period of development, the content of sorbitol in mesocarp of ‘Jiubao’ was higher; it showed the ‘Jiubao’ fruit depend on external sugar source to develop until maturity.