The Relationship between Starch Accumulation and Soluble Solids Content of Tomato Fruits1

Abstract

The soluble solids content of ripe fruit of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculeutum mill.) is positively associated with starch content early in fruit development. When 14 C-sucrose or 14 C-glucose were injected, the young fruits of the breeding line LA 1563 contained greater amounts of 14 C in starch than those of the cultivars ‘UC 82B’. This, and the larger pool of hexoses in young fruits of ‘UC 82B’, implies that difference in starch synthesis is a primary factor affecting starch levels. The differences between 2 genotypes for fruit respiration and their ability to take up sucrose from an agar medium suggest that starch accumulation is a result of greater sink activity.