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On the Cover: Ripening involves a series of coordinated biochemical events that collectively change the texture and flavor of fruit tissue. A major event in this process is the disassembly of both hemicellulosic and pectic components of the cell wall. Melons, particularly the Charentais type, ripen very rapidly and have provided a powerful system for resolving the sequence of ripening-associated disassembly of discrete cell wall components. Rose et al. (pp. 345-361) report that early fruit-ripening events are associated with disassembly of a tightly bound fraction of xyloglucan and that disassembly of other cell wall components occurs later. The results suggest that fruit softening may be comprised of a series of discrete cell wall disassembly processes, initiated sequentially throughout ripening. (Photograph courtesy of Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc.)