[The ultrastructure of apple cells during storage]

A study was made of ultrastructural features of epidermal and hypodermal cells of freshly collected apples of early- and late-ripe cultivars, and of those storage at low temperature. In late-cultivars, the ultrastructure of most cells remained unchanged within 8 months (except increased vacuolation). In early-ripe cultivars, signs of senile destruction were evident in many hypodermal cells as early as within 2 months of storage. Apple cells of all cultivars contained a fairly developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). A suggestion is made that SER may be involved in the synthesis of abscisic acid essential for the fruit dormancy maintenance.