Roles of sorbitol and sucrose in growth and respiration of ‘Encore’ peach fruit in the three developmental stages

In peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Peach Group)], both sorbitol and sucrose are utilized for source to sink carbon (C) transport, yet their specific functions in fruit growth and development remain unclear. Growth rate (GR), respiration rate (R), carbohydrate content, and the activities of sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), sorbitol oxidase (SOX), sucrose synthase (SS), acid invertase (AI), and neutral invertase (NI) were determined in ‘Encore’ peach fruit to study the specific functions of sorbitol and sucrose in each phase of fruit development (an early period of rapid cell division, a relatively inactive intermediate stage where endocarp (pit) hardening occurs, and a final swelling due to …