A laboratory system was developed to study olive (Olea europaea L.) organ abscission (21). An improvement of the use of ethylene-releasing compounds in this system is described to provide a model for field abscission responses and characterization of ethylene release. Olive fruit began the separation process as early as 7 to 13 hr after treatment with CGA-15281 (CGA), but not until 19 to 25 hr after treatment with ethephon (ET). CGA is characterized by an immediate, substantial breakdown to ethylene, whereas ET reaches its maximum ethylene release at 12 to 18 hr after application. Ethylene release was much greater from CGA than from equimolar concentrations of ET throughout the abscission initiation period. The relation of ethylene release characteristics to control of olive fruit and leaf abscission is discussed, with the suggestion that fruit respond more rapidly to, and at shorter durations of applied ethylene than do leaves.

In observing the growth phases of a plant’s many structures, a paraphrasing of J.L. Harper (7), and later Sussman and Douthit (13), comes to mind: “Some structures are born dormant, some achieve dormancy, and some have dormancy thrust upon them”. Indeed, the dormancy phenomena can be associated with essentially all meristematic regions of the plant. Accordingly, a wealth of terminology has arisen to describe various plant dormancy phenomena. While recently discussing seasonal growth processes, our use and misuse of current and historic dormancy terms led us to conclude that a simplified, descriptive dormancy terminology would be of benefit to the plant science community. Our purpose here is to review briefly the terminology now in use, critically examine dormancy phenomena and reduce terminology to a minimal number of descriptive terms, and consequently to stimulate discussion of this terminology scheme by our peers.

At last year's W-130 Regional Project meeting in Penticton, B.C., Edward L. Proebsting, Jr., chairman of the meeting, requested that we communicate our interest and discussion in the Oct. 1985 Viewpoint article by Lang, Early, Arroyave, Darnell, Martin, and Stutte concerning dormancy terminology (HortScience 20:809–812).