Respiration rate, ethylene production and pulp firmness of papaya fruit during low temperature storage and ripening at 25°C after exogenous ethylene treatment.

<p>A, respiration rate; B, ethylene production; and C, pulp firmness. 12°C, stored at 12°C; 7°C, stored at 7°C; 0 d 25°C EA, without low temperature-storage and directly treated with exogenous ethylene for ripening at 25°C; low temperature storage, at 12°C or 7°C storage; 25 d EA, treated with exogenous ethylene after 25 days at low temperature-storage; 30 d EA, treated with exogenous ethylene after 30 days at low temperature-storage. The values presented were obtained from three independent biological replicates. Mean values in graph followed by a different lower-case letters are significantly different at <i>P≦</i><i>0.05</i> by Duncan's multiple range tests. Different letters were used to indicate the dates of all treatments on the same time, and different time points calculated separately. The LSD was done with all treatments.