A significantly enhanced production of ethane due to sulphite treatment was observed only in the green fragments of variegated Chlorophytum comosum leaves but no increase in MDA content was found after sulphite treatment either in the green or in the white leaf fragments. The activity of SOD showed a tendency to increase while that of catalase significantly decreased only in the green leaf fragments after SO₂ fumigation. The higher level of oxidative damage in the green tissue could probably result from the Haber-Weiss reaction of generation of HO.