Abstract
After fruit development has been triggered by pollination, abscission zone in the pedicel strengthens its adhesion to keep the fruit in tact with the plant body. The unpollinated flower sheds from the abscission zone, while the enlargement of the same tissue can be observed in pollinated flower. After fruit has developed and fully ripened, shedding can easily occur from the abscission zone, indicating acceleration of abscission. Cell wall degradation and synthesis may play an important role in these processes, however not much is understood about the shedding process of the floral organs or fruits. In our research, we have attempted to visualize the changes of polysaccharide distribution in abscission zones of pollinated/ unpollinated flowers and ripened fruits by using cell wall staining reagents and monoclonal antibodies specific to some cell wall epitopes. In abscising flower, pectic galactan, arabinan, and xyloglucan content increased particularly in the abscission zone.
