Ethephon is the most widely used plant growth regulator. Upon metabolism by the plant, it is converted into ethylene, a potent regulator of plant growth and ripeness. It is often used on wheat, coffee, tobacco, cotton, and rice in order to help the plant's fruit reach ripeness more quickly. Cotton is the most important single crop use for ethephon. It initiates fruiting over a period of several weeks, promotes early concentrated boll opening, and enhances defoliation to facilitate and improve efficiency of scheduled harvesting. Harvested cotton quality is improved. Ethephon also is widely used by pineapple growers to initiate reproductive development force of pineapple. Ethephon is also sprayed on mature-green pineapple fruits to degreen them to meet produce marketing requirements. There can be some detrimental effect on fruit quality. Sugarcane is a worldwide crop cultivated in 105 countries.