scholarly journals Effects of Daily Harvest Time on Postharvest Longevity, Water Relations, and Carbohydrate Status of Selected Specialty Cut Flowers

HortScience ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-305
Author(s):  
Iftikhar Ahmad ◽  
John M. Dole ◽  
Frank A. Blazich

Effects of harvest time (morning, noon, or afternoon) on water uptake, fresh weight changes, termination symptoms, leaf relative water content (LRWC), carbohydrate status, and vase life of cut ‘ABC Purple’ lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum Salisb.), ‘Double Eagle’ African Gold Coin Series marigold (Tagetes erecta L.), and ‘Deep Red’ Benary’s Giant Series zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.) were studied. For stems of lisianthus harvested and then stored in the dark with the basal ends in water for 2 weeks at 3 ± 1 °C, those harvested at noon (1200 hr to 1300 hr) or in the afternoon (1700 hr to 1800 hr) had longer vase life compared with stems harvested in the morning (0700 hr to 0800 hr). However, stems of lisianthus evaluated without storage had no differences in vase life. Stems of marigold harvested in the afternoon had longer vase life than morning- or noon-harvested stems. Time of harvest had no effect on cut flower longevity of zinnia. However, vase life was considerably shorter for stems of all species when tested after 2 weeks storage compared with freshly harvested stems. Stems of zinnia harvested at noon had lower LRWC than morning- or afternoon-harvested stems. Marigold stems harvested in the afternoon and evaluated without storage had lowest LRWC on Day 7 of vase life. Harvest time or storage did not influence LRWC of lisianthus. Stems of marigold and lisianthus harvested at noon or in the afternoon had higher levels of carbohydrates compared with morning-harvested stems, whereas freshly harvested stems had higher concentrations of glucose and sucrose, which decreased during storage or the vase period. Sucrose concentrations varied more significantly among various tissues than other sugars presumably as a result of translocation during vase life. In summary, carbohydrate status of stems harvested at different times of the day varied greatly and affected postharvest longevity of cut marigold and lisianthus, but not zinnia.

Author(s):  
Marcelo Rodrigo Krause ◽  
Mirelle Nayana de Sousa Santos ◽  
Karoliny Ferreira Moreira ◽  
Márcia Martins Tolentino ◽  
Ana Maria Mapeli

Abstract Floriculture is a promising activity and has great economic importance. In this context, the cultivation of Lilium pumilum Redouté stands out. However, one of the main challenges flower farmers face is that a large part of the products is lost before reaching the final consumer, due to postharvest losses. Such losses can be minimized by adopting some techniques, such as the use of conditioning solution (pulsing), which has been effective in preventing early senescence. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of pulsing with sucrose, citric acid and silver thiosulphate on postharvest conservation of L. pumilum cut flowers. All treatments promoted a 1.8±0.3 day increase in longevity, uniformity of floral opening, and reduced fresh weight loss compared to the control (flowers that were not pulse-treated). There was no significant difference in chlorophyll content and leaf relative water content. The time of exposure to pulsing caused significant differences in the reduction of anthocyanin contents when compared to the control, demonstrating that pulsing preservative solution for at least 6 h extends the vase life of L. pumilum cut flowers by two days.


HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 503E-503
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Macnish ◽  
Ria T. Leonard ◽  
Terril A. Nell

The postharvest longevity of fresh-cut flowers is often limited by the accumulation of bacteria in vase water and flower stems. Aqueous chlorine dioxide is a strong biocide with potential application for sanitizing cut flower solutions. We evaluated the potential of chlorine dioxide to prevent the build-up of bacteria in vase water and extend the longevity of cut Matthiola incana `Ruby Red', Gypsophila paniculata `Crystal' and Gerbera jamesonii `Monarch' flowers. Fresh-cut flower stems were placed into sterile vases containing deionized water and either 0.0 or 2 μL·L–1 chlorine dioxide. Flower vase life was then judged at 21 ± 0.5 °C and 40% to 60% relative humidity. Inclusion of 2 μL·L–1 chlorine dioxide in vase water extended the longevity of Matthiola, Gypsophila and Gerbera flowers by 2.2, 3.5, and 3.4 days, respectively, relative to control flowers (i.e., 0 μL·L–1). Treatment with 2 μL·L–1 chlorine dioxide reduced the build-up of aerobic bacteria in vase water for 6 to 9 days of vase life. For example, addition of 2 μL·L–1 chlorine dioxide to Gerbera vase water reduced the number of bacteria that grew by 2.4- to 2.8-fold, as compared to control flower water. These results confirm the practical value of chlorine dioxide treatments to reduce the accumulation of bacteria in vase water and extend the display life of cut flowers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathia Fernandes Lopes Pivetta ◽  
Claudia Fabrino Machado Mattiuz ◽  
Regina Ferreira de Melo ◽  
Renata Gimenes ◽  
Gustavo de Nobrega Romani ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Aster (Aster ericoides L.) is a flower crop of North American origin, which belongs to the family Asteraceae. This plant presents capitulum-type inflorescences, widely used as cut flowers. In Brazil, it has been grown only recently, but still has a high expansion potential. In floriculture, pulsing and conditioning solutions are often used to extend the vase life of cut flowers. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of silver thiosulphate (STS) pulsing and sucrose solutions on the postharvest life of A. ericoides stems. The experiment was carried out under a complete randomized design with treatments arranged in a 2x5 factorial scheme. Treatments consisted of flower stems treated with STS pulsing for 30 minutes, combined with four sucrose concentrations (5, 10, 15, and 20%) for six hours, plus a control (without treatment). Each plot contained four replicates of 10 stems, totalizing 400 stems. The following variables were daily: vase life, fresh mass, and relative water content (RWC). For pulsing data, means were compared by the Tukey’s test (p≥5%). Yet for sucrose concentrations, means were submitted to a polynomial regression to verify the behavior of variables as a function of concentrations increases. Likewise, each treatment was evaluated for fresh mass and RWC variations over time by a polynomial regression. Results indicated no effect of STS pulsing (2mM) on the vase-life length of aster stems. In contrast, the sucrose solution at 10% extended the vase life of stems by two days, decreased fresh mass loss, and helped maintain water balance in stems.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamaladin Sharifzadeh ◽  
Moazzam Hassanpour Asil ◽  
Zeynab Roein ◽  
Muhammad Sharifzadeh

AbstractCut lisianthus flowers have a short vase life, possibly due to blockage of xylem vessels. The effect of 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate, sucrose and peroxidase inhibitors on delaying senescence and extending vase life of cut lisianthus flowers was tested. The peroxidase inhibitors used in this experiment were catechol (CH) (5, 10, 15 mM) and p-phenylenediamine (PD) (5, 10, 15 mM). All vase solutions contained 200 mg-dm-3 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (8-HQC) and 3% sucrose. 10 mM CH treatment was the most effective for vase life extension (13.3 days), increasing water uptake, and delaying fresh weight loss. The vase solution containing 10 mM CH significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and decreased peroxidase (POD) activities. Similarly, 10 mM PD increased anthocyanin content more than the other treat–ments. Protein degradation was significantly delayed by application of 5 mM PD. The malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation was reduced when CH at 5 mM and PD in 5 and 15 mM were added to the vase solution. Results indicated that peroxidase inhibitors in combination with 8-HQC and sucrose increase vase life of lisianthus by improving water uptake and delaying fresh weight loss.


HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 570d-570
Author(s):  
Kenneth R. Schroeder ◽  
Dennis P. Stimart

An inbred backcrossing approach was taken to transfer long postharvest keeping time of cut flowers from a white inbred line of Antirrhinum majus L. into a yellow short-lived inbred line. Three backcrosses to the short-lived recurrent parent were done followed by three generations of selfing by single-seed descent. Plants from 56 accessions of BC1S3 through BC3S3 were grown twice (June and August 1995) in a greenhouse and flower stems harvested for postharvest longevity evaluation. Postharvest evaluation was done in deionized water under continuous fluorescent light. Longevity was determined as the number of days from cutting to discard when 50% of the open florets on a flower stem wilted or turned brown. One yellow accession was retrieved that was not significantly different in postharvest longevity from the white long-lived parent. Environment substantially influenced postharvest longevity over harvest dates. Possible causes for variation of postharvest keeping time will be presented.


Author(s):  
Hafiz Farooq Anwar ◽  
Hafiz Muhammad Shoaib Shah ◽  
Abdul Waheed ◽  
Mudassar Anwar Butt ◽  
Hafiz Zafar-ul-Qasim ◽  
...  

Lily (Lilium L. hybrids) is sub-tropical cut flower that can be grown in open place or in green house and has consumer demand in local as well as in offshore markets. Short vase life, postharvest decay of flowering petals, activities of oxidative enzymes, malondialdehyde contents, electrolyte leakage and low water ratio are the main problems in marketing of cut lilies. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of oxalic acid (OA) treatments on vase life (12 days) and postharvest quality of ‘Mero Star’ cut lily flowers. The flowering stems were placed in 2, 4 and 6% aqueous solution of OA for 12 days at 20±2 °C with 70±5% relative humidity. Flowers placed in 6% OA solution exhibited longest vase life and flower diameter with higher relative water content and increased fresh weight and reduced flower decay. Reduced malondialdehyde contents and electrolyte leakage with higher activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes were also noted in 6% OA-treated flowers. In conclusion, exogenous postharvest application of 6% OA extended vase life and maintained postharvest quality of cut flowers by reducing electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde contents with higher antioxidative enzymes activities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdolrahman Rahimian-Boogar ◽  
Hassan Salehi ◽  
Noshin Mir

Abstract Quality of cut flowers is an important issue at postharvest as well as an important factor contributing to marketing of and profitability from the tuberose. In this study, the effects of citric acid (CA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) added to the vase water on postharvest quality of tuberose cut flowers were investigated. CA was applied in concentrations of 50, 100, 200, 400 mg·dm−3 and H2O2 in concentrations of 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg·dm−3 and distilled water as control treatment. Results showed that both compounds had significant positive effects on solution uptake, wilting and abscission of florets, relative water content, chlorophyll content, and vase life duration. The effects of 100 and 200 mg·dm−3 of CA and 20 and 40 mg·dm−3 of H2O2 proved to be more effective than other treatments. Both compounds increased the vase life of tuberose cut flowers and CA at concentrations 100 and 200 mg dm−3 and H2O2 at concentrations 20 and 40 mg dm−3 doubled this time up to 14-17 days.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 398-407
Author(s):  
Lady Daiane Costa de Sousa ◽  
Kelem Silva Fonseca ◽  
Luzia Ferreira da Silva ◽  
Thieres George Freire da Silva ◽  
Lucas Vinicius Pierre de Andrada ◽  
...  

Abstract Cultivation conditions are determining factors that affect the quality of cut flowers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the vegetative growth, flowering and vase life of commercial gladiolus cultivars under different shading conditions in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Two cultivars of gladiolus (Jester and Rose Friendship) were grown under two conditions: full sun and 70% shade. Biometrics were evaluated 60 days after planting and the growth rate of the crop was evaluated at 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 days for the variables: number of tillers, stem diameter, number of leaves and plant height. After 45 days, the fresh weight, dry weight and total relative water content of the area and root parts of the plants were evaluated. After the harvest, the stems were kept at a temperature of 22±3 °C and relative humidity (RH) of 60%. Visual assessment, pH of the solution, variation in the volume of water and loss of fresh mass were measured every two days. Cultivation with 70% shading resulted in greater accumulation of biomass in the aerial part of gladiolus plants, greater neck diameter and height. The Rose Friendship cultivar underwent a greater translocation of dry matter to the aerial part of the plants, resulting in greater height. On the other hand, the gladiolus stems from cultivation under full sun conditions resulted in longer vase life, 10 days under conservation conditions at 22±3 °C and RH 60%.


2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 812-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent K. Harbaugh ◽  
Michelle L. Bell ◽  
Rongna Liang

Lisianthus [Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf). Shinn.] is emerging as an important cut flower in the United States while in European and Asian markets it is already listed among the top ten cut flowers. Many new cultivars have been released in the United States within the last 5 years, but comparative performance trials of these cultivars have been lacking. This trial evaluated 47 cultivars of lisianthus representing series (cultivar groups) that were marketed in the United States in 1998. Evaluations were made for rosetting, plug performance, cut-flower characteristics (vegetative and flowering attributes) as well as postharvest longevity of cut flowers. Significant differences among cultivars were found for all of the attributes evaluated. `Malibu Purple', `Catalina Blue Blush', and `Alice Pink' were selected as the best performers in the seedling (plug) stage since they had less than 5% rosettes, large leaves and a vigorous root system. Cultivars were placed in classes based on flower color, flower size, and number of petals (single or double flowers). Cultivars were ranked for each of the attributes and the total rank sum of all attributes (TRS) was used to select the best in class. Cultivars selected as best in class were `Malibu Purple', `Malibu Blue Blush', `Alice Purple', `Balboa Blue', `Avila Blue Rim', `Mellow Pink', `Flamenco Wine Red', `Flamenco Rose Rim', `Alice Pink', `Avila Rose' and `Echo Pink', `Alice White', and `Mariachi White'.


HortScience ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-226
Author(s):  
Ya-Ching Chuang ◽  
Yao-Chien Alex Chang

The vase life of Eustoma cut flowers can be extended by adding sugars to the vase solution, but the exact role of sugars and how they are translocated in tissues are not clear. Thus, we observed the preserving effect of different sugars in vase solutions on Eustoma and compared sugar concentrations in vase solutions and in the flowers as well as stems and leaves of cut flowers in a solution containing 200 mg·L−1 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (8-HQS) with and without 20 g·L−1 sucrose during different flowering stages. Inclusion of glucose, fructose, or sucrose in the vase solution extended the vase life of cut flowers with no significant differences among sugar types. During flower opening, the concentration of added sucrose in the vase solution dropped, and the fresh weight (FW), glucose concentration, and sucrose concentration of flowers in sucrose solutions increased, whereas flowers in solutions without sucrose had lower FW and glucose concentrations. During flower senescence, sugar concentration in the vase solution did not change much, but the FW and sucrose concentrations in all flowers declined, although the FW of sucrose-treated flowers fell more slowly. For stems and leaves in the sucrose solution, sugar concentrations increased during the first 7 days with only glucose slightly declining during senescence, whereas the FW was maintained during the entire vase life. In contrast, FWs of those in the solution without sucrose gradually declined. In conclusion, sucrose in the vase solution promoted flower opening and maintained the water balance of Eustoma cut flowers. Glucose and fructose also extended the vase life, likely in similar ways.


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