Changes in Ethylene and Total Nonstructural Carbohydrate Contents in Stem Apex prior to Flowering of Longan cv. Dor

Abstract

The study was made on changes in ethylene and total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) contents in stem apexes prior to flowering of longan cv. Dor. It revealed that changes in ethylene concentration in the intercellular space of longan during 8^th, 6^th and 4^th weeks before flowering did not show any significant difference at α = 0.05%. However, ethylene concentrations tended firstly to reduce and then increased dramatically in the 2^th week before flowering. The results showed that ethylene should have effects on longan flowering. The TNC were nearly constant between 8^th and 6^th weeks before flowering, but increased in the 4^th week before flowering, after that decreased in the 2^nd week before flowering. It inferred that TNC content should have effects on longan flowering.