H. 1990. The roles of caicium and manganese ions in the in vitro conversion of 1-aminocyclopropane-lcarboxylic acid to ethylene by lentil root membranes. -Physioi. Plant 79: 250-254. Ca^* and Mn^"^ activate the conversion of 1-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid (ACC) by root microsomes of Vicia lens as they do in other similar systems. The preparation of microsomes in the presence of Mn'* greatly increases their ability to convert ACC into ethylene, without addition of Mn'* in the reaction mixture. Ca^"d oes not have this property. The effect could not be attributed to Mn^^ entrapping into membrane vesicles (sonication followed by repelleting had no effect) but, possibly, in part to Mn^* retention by the membranes themselves. Other experiments indicate an Mn^'*'-mediated binding to microsomes of a soluble factor favouring the conversion of ACC to C2H4. Although no direct correlation could be established in vitro between ethylene-fomning-enzyme (EFE) and peroxidase activities, some soluble peroxidases might be this soluble factor. Mn^* favoured attachment to metnbranes of some peroxidase activity from the soluble fraction and from commercial HRP and lipoxygenase. This binding effect of Mn^* cannot be readily distinguished from its role in the generation of a chain of free radicals and in redox mechanisms.