Climacteric (botany)

Generally, fleshy fruits can be divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of a respiratory increase at the onset of ripening.

Its defining point is a sudden rise in respiration of the fruit, and normally takes place without any external influences.

After the event, fruits are more susceptible to fungal invasion and begin to degrade by cell death.

[6] Recent research on ethylene production and perception systems seems to show that this simple classification (fruit ripening that needs ethylene means climacteric vs. fruit ripening that does not need ethylene means non-climacteric) is not completely satisfactory: for example, there are non-climacteric varieties of melon (although almost all of them are climacteric), and grapes (classified as non-climacteric) have many ethylene-sensitive receptors, the expression of which is modulated during ripening.

[7] Ethylene is a hormone in plants known for its role in accelerating the ripening of fleshy fruits.

[5] Along with the production and control of ethylene, auxin also plays a major role in climacteric fruit ripening.

Additionally, there may be an increase in certain volatiles (metabolites the plant releases into the air) as well as changes in sugar (starch, sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.)