What is the plant hormone remarkable for stimulating flowering and fruit ripening? What are the uses and practical inconveniences of that hormone?
The plant hormone notable for stimulating and accelerating fruit ripening is the gas ethylene (ethene). By being a gas, ethylene acts not only in the plant that creates it but also in neighboring ones.
Some fruit processing industries use ethylene to accelerate fruit ripening. On the other hand, if the intensification or acceleration of fruit ripening is not desirable care must be taken to prevent the mixture of ripe fruits that release ethylene with the others.