Fruit ripening and postharvest changes in very early-harvested tomatoes.

It is well known that if a fruit is harvested extremely early its development and function are interrupted, and it may never attain full maturity and optimal quality. Reports revealing insights regarding the alterations of maturation, ripening and postharvest quality in very early picked fruits are rare. We examined the effects of early harvesting on tomatoes by characterizing different accessions at the molecular, physiological, and biochemical levels. We found that even very early-harvested fruits could achieve postharvest maturation and ripening though with some defects in pigment and cuticle formation, and seeds from very early-harvested fruits could still germinate and develop as normal and healthy plants. One critical regulator of tomato cuticle integrity, , was shown to contribute to cuticle defects in very early-harvested fruits. Very early fruit harvest still allowing ripening and seed development indicate that the genetic and physiological programs of later maturation and ripening are set into motion early in fruit development and are not dependent on complete fruit expansion nor attachment to the plant.