UNKNOWN FACTOR IN REGULATION OF TOMATO FRUIT DEVELOPMENT

Tomato fruits grow in vivo mainly by cell divisions during the first week after anthesis, followed by 6–7 weeks of cell enlargement. Final fruit size is correlated with the number of seeds. Growth occurs in the pericarp tissue; also in the ovules, where rapid cell divisions start in the endosperm soon after fertilization, the embryo developing only after day 18 until maturity; and in the locular tissue that very early arises from the placenta and gradually surrounds the developing seeds.