noun
- Plural of ethephon; a synthetic plant hormone used to promote ripening of fruits and acceleration of plant maturation.
Usage: technical; agriculture
Examples
- Farmers apply ethephons to banana crops to ensure uniform ripening before harvest.
- The use of ethephons in agriculture has increased fruit production efficiency.
- Ethephons work by releasing ethylene gas, which triggers ripening in many fruits.
- Researchers studied the effects of different ethephons concentrations on tomato maturation.