Question

After buying green bananas or unripe avocados, they can be kept in a brown bag to ripen. The hormone released by the fruit and trapped in the bag is probably:

a. abscisic acid

b. cytokinin

c. ethylene

d. gibberellic acid

Short answer

c. ethylene

Step-by-step solution

Step-1 Introduction

Plant hormones are produced within plants and are mainly signal molecules. These mainly occur in very low concentrations. Various aspects of plant growth and development are regulated by plant hormones such as; embryogenesis, organ size regulation, stress tolerance, pathogen defense, and also reproductive development.

Step-2 Explanation

Ethylene is a plant hormone generally associated with fruit ripening, leaf fall, and flower wilting. It is mainly a volatile gas therefore unusual. For commercial purposes, some people store unripe fruit, such as bananas and avocados, in a brown bag or paper bag to speed up the ripening process. The ethylene gas released by the first fruit helps to make the remaining fruits ripe.

The abscisic acid is known for inhibiting stem elongation and inducing dormancy.

The cytokinins are known for the cytokinesis (cell-division)process.

The gibberellic acid induces stem elongation and germination of seed.

Step-3 Final Answer

Therefore, option ‘c’ is the correct answer.

Ethylene hormone is known for the ripening of fruits. The gas released from fruits helps to ripen the fruits.