Abstract: The concentration of endogenous ethylene in tomato fruits increased quickly with the ripening of the fruit and the rate of respiration raised gradually. However, the respiratory rate of overripened fruits decreased gradually. The optimum temperature of ethylene production by fruit wall tissue slices was about 26 ℃. The R10 between 12 ℃ and 26 ℃ was 2.8 and that between 2 ℃ and 12 ℃ was 1.7. Under temperature 26 ℃, ethylene evolution from tissue slices were suppressed by low O2 and high CO2, and the critical concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide were about 7% and 5%, respectively. Ethylene evolution was markedly suppressed by the inhibitors of protein and nucleie acid synthesis such as cycloheximide and actinomycin D. In this paper, the mechanism of controlling and regulating ethylene production as well as the control and regulation of fruit ripening and senescence by ethylene was discussed.