Lignification of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) pericarp tissue during blossom-end rot development

Blossom-end rot is a physiological disorder causing significant losses in the produce industry each year. Accumulation of reactive oxygen species has been established as a key characteristic of blossom-end rot development. An increase in peroxidase activity and lignin precursor content are also associated with blossom-end rot symptoms, leading to the hypothesis that lignification may be occurring during blossom-end rot development. To investigate the potential involvement of lignification, hydrogen peroxide content, catalase activity, and peroxidase activity were measured in the top, bottom, and blossom-end rot affected tissue of blossom-end rot affected fruit. The top and bottom of healthy fruit from the same growing conditions were used as controls. Lignin was assayed using histochemical staining, autofluorescence, and thioglycolic acid degradation methods. Hydrogen peroxide content was increased in blossom-end rot affected and blossom-end rot adjacent tissues compared to healthy frui...