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Experiments were conducted to clarify potential role of plant hormones on ripening of fruit using normal and ripening inhibitor (rin) tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Physiological effects of plant hormone on the tomato ripening, parameters such as electrolyte and amino acid leakages, carbon dioxide production, and ethylene evolution, were analyzed in cytokinin and gibberellin applied fruits. And also endogenous contents of cytokinin were quantified during ripening of tomato fruits. Cytokinin contents in rin tomato fruit remained steady during ripening. Zeatin content in normal tomato fruit was higher than that in rin tomato fruit. Benzyladenine had little effect on membrane system and did not affect carbon dioxide production in fruits of both tomato cultivars, but it showed slight increase in ethylene evolution only in normal tomato fruit. Permeability of membrane was stimulated by GA application in both normal and rin tomato fruits. There were no effects of gibberellin on carbon dioxide production and ethylene evolution in both cultivars. Cytokinin contents in rin tomato fruit remained steady during ripening. Thus, Cytokinin and GA may have little relationship with other ripening mechanism, including softening.
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