Which hormone has allowed these bananas to ripen?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The task asks: Which hormone has allowed these bananas to ripen? The image shows ripe bananas, which is typically associated with the plant hormone ethylene.

First, consider what is known about fruit ripening: many fruits, especially climacteric fruits like bananas, ripen in response to ethylene, a gaseous hormone produced by the fruit itself and other ripe fruits. Ethylene acts as a signaling molecule that triggers a cascade of enzymatic activities leading to sugar accumulation, softening, color change, and aroma development.

Next, even though the provided options are missing in the data, it helps to contrast common plant hormones:
- Ethylene: classically linked to triggering and coordinating ripening in climacteric fruits such as bananas, tomatoes, and avocados. This makes it the correct primary driver in this scenario.
- Auxins (e.g., indole-3-acetic acid): mainly regulate growth, cell elongation, and fruit set, not the main trigger for ripening; they can influence the timing indirectly but are not the primary ripening cue.
- Gibberellins: promote stem elongation and seed germination in various contexts; they are not the main hormone responsible for banana ripening.
- Cytokinins: promote cell division and delay senescence in some contexts; they are not the central ripening signal for bananas.
- Abscisic acid (ABA): often associated with stress responses and dormancy; in some fruits, ABA can interact with ripening pathways, but it is not the primary trigger for banana ripening.

Therefore, given the classic role of ethylene as the ripening hormone for climacteric fruits like bananas, it best explains the ripening process observed in the image. If options were provided, the ethylene choice would align with established plant physiology.

Which hormone has allowed these bananas to ripen?

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