Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentumMill.) genotypes varying in intrinsic firmness were examined to determine the quantitative relationships between polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15) activity, firmness and other ripening parameters including rate (days from mature‐green to full red) and intensity (rate of ethylene production at climacteric peak) of ripening. Texture, respiration and ethylene production were monitored in the immature‐green through the red (ripe) stages of development. Polygalacturonase activity was measured by direct assay of salt‐extractable wall protein or by monitoring the release of pectins from isolated, enzymically active wall. In all fruit, polygalacturonase activity was highly correlated with pericarp softening, but only moderately correlated with softening of whole fruit (r = 0.920 and 0.757, respectively). Polygalacturonase activity was positively correlated with cell‐wall autolytic activity in pink (r = 0.969) and red (r = 0.900) fruit. Firmer genotypes exhibited lower rates of respiration and ethylene production during ripening. Polygalacturonase activity in isolates prepared from fruit at the climacteric peak was positively correlated with ethylene production and respiration, and negatively correlated with days to ripening (r = 0.929, 0.805, and ‐0.791, respectively). The data demonstrate the importance of selecting the appropriate method of firmness determination and are consistent with the hypothesis that pectin fragments released by polygalacturonase contribute to the production of autocatalytic (system II)