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, SlCER1–2, was shown to contribute to cuticle defects in very early harvested fruits. Very early fruit harvest still allowing ripening and seed development indicates 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.

中文翻译：

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极早采收番茄的果实成熟和采后变化


众所周知，如果果实采收过早，其发育和功能就会受到干扰，并且可能永远无法达到完全成熟和最佳品质。很少有报告揭示有关极早采摘水果的成熟度、成熟度和采后品质变化的见解。我们通过在分子、生理和生化水平上表征不同品种，研究了早期收获对番茄的影响。我们发现，即使是非常早收获的果实，尽管在色素和角质层形成方面存在一些缺陷，也可以实现采后成熟和成熟，并且来自非常早收获的果实的种子仍然可以发芽并发育成正常健康的植物。番茄角质层完整性的一个关键调节因子 SlCER1-2，已被证明会导致早期收获的果实角质层缺陷。非常早的果实收获仍然允许成熟和种子发育，这表明后期成熟和成熟的遗传和生理程序在果实发育的早期就开始运转，并且不依赖于果实的完全膨胀或对植物的附着。