Seasonal variation in polyamines were evaluate during growth of fruit and seed of peach (Prunus persica L. cvs. Loring and Biscoe) starting at fruit set. In both cultivars, putrescine and spermidine increase significantly while spermine increase only slightly during the early stages of development then declined at the later stages. During pit hardening, polyamines in the flesh remained unchanged but their level in the seed continued to decrease. In both cultivars, polyamine levels corresponded to changes in fruit and seed sizes. when polyamines were vacuum infiltrated into commercially mature Biscoe fruits, flesh firmness, ethylene biosynthesis, and flesh color were significantly different from untreated tissue. The relationship between polyamines, seed development, and fruit development and ripening will be examined.
758 PB 158 COMPARISON OF SEASONAL PATTERNS OF POLYAMINES DURING FRUIT AND SEED GROWTH OF PEACHES