We gave the petal breakstrength meter an additional feature: high speed data acquisition and logging to a personal computer. Therefore, we designed the petal breakstrength meter around another force sensor which is in production, the MLT050 (ADInstruments, Colorado Springs, CO).

When we sought to build a petal breakstrength meter, we initially sought to purchase the FORT10 transducer, but we found that the device was no longer in production and was unavailable. Further details of the device have only been published in a doctoral dissertation chapter, and so are not widely available. A petal breakstrength meter has been briefly described by Patterson and Bleecker (2004), which consisted of a FORT10 stress transducer (World Precision Instruments, Sarasota, FL) and a voltmeter. Furthermore, there is no off-the-shelf product that can be purchased to perform the assay, instead it must be built by the investigator. Part of the reason this assay has only been employed in a subset of Arabidopsis abscission studies may be that the device required to perform the assay is not a common piece of laboratory equipment. For example, if the abscission zone is defective, more force may be required to pull the petal off than if abscission has been activated. This assay gives quantitative insight into the physical integrity of the abscission zone. In this assay, the force required to pull a petal from the receptacle is measured. Another assay that has been used in a subset of Arabidopsis abscission studies is the petal breakstrength assay. In addition, the expression of a molecular reporter associated with abscission zones has been investigated. For example, the abscission zone has been visualized by microscopy. To understand the mechanistic basis of the abscission defects in these Arabidopsis mutants, several experimental approaches have been used. Aditionally, AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR1 and AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR2 mutants also affect abscission. Overexpression of AGL15 causes abscission defects (Fernandez et al., 2000). BLADE-ON-PETIOLE1 and BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 genes affect floral organ abscission. Inflorescence Deficient in Abscission (IDA), encodes a small secreted protein that is necessary for abscission. Moreover, a cell surface receptor involved in abscission is HAESA, a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase. Furthermore, ACTIN-RELATED PROTEIN7 (ARP7) knockdowns exhibited delayed floral abscission. For example, ethylene perception has been shown to be important in this response. By identifying mutants with altered abscission, gene products and pathways important in abscission have been uncovered. However, Arabidopsis does undergo floral organ abscission, such as petal dropping. Unlike many plants, Arabidopsis does not shed its leaves. For the separation to occur in a controlled fashion, there must be regulated expression of the enzymes involved in breaking down the components of the cell wall in the middle lamella.ДЄ powerful method for identifying the regulatory components of abscission has been the study of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants that affect this process. At the cellular level, abscission involves a separation between layers of cells in the abscission zone, allowing a plant organ to detach. Abscission, the regulated shedding of plant organs, can involve loss of other plant organs besides leaves, such as flower petals. The phenomenon of trees dropping their leaves in autumn is an example of abscission familiar to most people. This petal breakstrength meter should enable researchers to perform the petal breakstrength assay as a routine part of the characterization of environmental and genetic factors affecting abscission. We present the design of the device and show its utility in measuring Arabidopsis petal breakstrength for abscission studies. We developed a petal breakstrength meter that allows rapid data acquisition on a personal computer. Petal breakstrength provides a quantitative insight into the physical integrity of the petal abscission zone. Various experimental methods have been used to study Arabidopsis floral organ abscission, including measuring the petal breakstrength, or the amount of force required to pull a petal from the receptacle.

The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana undergoes floral organ abscission. This process involves a break down of the cell wall between layers of cells in the abscission zone, causing the organ to become detached.

Abscission is the regulated dropping of plant organs, such as leaves or flower petals.

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