Use of silver thiosulphate (STS) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) to improve the shelf life of miniature potted rose cv. Amore
The quality of miniature potted roses during their shelf life is limited by bud abscission and premature flower senescence. Rosa hybrida L. cv. Amore plants were pretreated with silver thiosulphate (STS) at 0.2 and 0.4 mM and with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 g m-3 for 6 h in order to investigate the effects of these chemicals on the postharvest quality. Both chemicals extended the flower longevity as well as the plant display life compared with the untreated control. The best treatments in this respect were STS at 0.4 mM and 1-MCP at 0.5 g-3 for 6 h, which resulted in the least degradation in the chlorophyll content of the leaves. The treatment with STS at 0.4 mM increased the flower longevity and plant display life by 1 and 1.67 days, respectively, compared with the 1-MCP pretreatment at 0.5 g m-3. Since 1-MCP treatment does not have the heavy metal implications of STS treatment, the use of 1-MCP pretreatment for extending the shelf life of miniature potted rose cv. Amore was recommended.