scholarly journals Production and Postharvest Evaluation of Selected Exotic Specialty Annual Cut Flower Species in Punjab, Pakistan

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 878-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iftikhar Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad B. Rafiq ◽  
John M. Dole ◽  
Bilal Abdullah ◽  
Kinza Habib

Favorable agro-climatic conditions and comparatively cheaper and readily available human resources offer a promising business opportunity to cut flower production in Pakistan. Presently, growers are limited to traditional cut flower crops such as rose (Rosa hybrids), gladiolus (Gladiolus hybrids), marigold (Tagetes erecta), and tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) because of unavailability of improved new species and cultivars. To diversify cut flower production in Pakistan, a study was conducted to evaluate the production and postharvest performance of different cultivars of delphinium (Delphinium hybrids), snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), and stock (Matthiola incana) in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. ‘Guardian White’ delphinium had the shortest time to harvest first marketable stems (160 days) with comparatively shorter stems (87.7 cm). Whereas ‘Aurora White’ and ‘Aurora Blue’ were high-temperature tolerant and produced attractive racemes with longer stems; 112.0 and 99.7 cm, respectively. All cultivars lasted about 7 days in distilled water (DW). ‘Cheerful White’ stock had the shortest cropping time and produced highest quality double flowers with longest stems (51.8 cm) compared with other cultivars tested. Vase solution of 4% sucrose supplemented with 100 mg·L−1 silver nitrate (AgNO3) extended the vase life of ‘Cheerful White’ stock up to 11.8 days compared with 8.2 days in DW. Pulsing with 10% sucrose supplemented with 100 mg·L−1 AgNO3 extended the longevity of ‘Lucinda Dark Rose Double’ stock (10.2 days) similar to vase solution of 4% sucrose plus 100 mg·L−1 AgNO3; however, ‘Lucinda Dark Rose Double’ stock produced shorter stems than ‘Cheerful White’. ‘Appleblossom’ snapdragon produced >10 marketable stems per plant with highest quality attractive flowers, and stout stems, which lasted 10.8 days in 4% sucrose vase solution supplemented with 100 mg·L−1 AgNO3. Among tested species/cultivars, all exotic species/cultivars produced uniform high quality stems resulting in higher productivity as compared with local cultivars and were favorably appraised by flower growers/retailers and are best suited for diversification of local cut flower industry.

1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
DC Joyce ◽  
P Beal ◽  
AJ Shorter

Grevillea is a large genus containing many species, forms and hybrids bearing inflorescences with desirable cut flower characteristics. Nineteen different Grevillea spp. and forms (7), and 39 hybrids (including 11 repeat collections) were assessed for vase life. Longevity varied 3-fold, from 3 days for G. wickhamii to 9 days for a G. whiteana accession. Species with comparatively long vase lives included G. pteridifolia, G. sessilis and G. whiteana. These genotypes may be useful for cut flower production and/or in breeding programs aimed at producing new cut flower Grevillea.


HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 659d-659
Author(s):  
Gloria McIntosh ◽  
Gerald Klingaman

Several cut flower species were studied to determine their feasibility for cut flower production. Three fertilizer treatments (0.5, .1, and .15kg/m2 respectively) were used and their effect on number of stems, stem length and fresh weight were determined. Celosia cristata and Ageratum houstonianum `Blue Horizon' proved to respond best to fertilizer treatments. Celosia fertilized at a rate of .15kg/m2 will produce approximately 200 stems/m2. Ageratum will produce appoximately 400 stems/m2 when fertilized at a rate of .10kg/m2. Fertlizer rates of .10 and .15 kg/m2 for Eustoma culture yielded 86 stems/m2, which was lower than other species used in this test. Extended vase life and consumer response could possibly justify using this species in cut flower production. An economic break-even analysis will be presented to show what price will have to be received per stem to cover costs.


HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-27
Author(s):  
K. Jacquemin Sullivan ◽  
C.C. Pasian

Cut-flower production of three snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) cultivars (`Potomac Pink', `Winter White', and `Potomac Light Pink') in growing trays vs. ground beds was evaluated in five different plantings over a period of a year and a half. The experiments evaluated the quality of cut flowers from plants in ground beds or in small vs. large trays either raised or placed directly on the ground bed. The quality of flowering shoots was lower when plants were grown in raised trays rather than in on-ground trays or in ground beds, but other treatments did not affect quality consistently. Flowering shoot grade (a subjective quality indicator) correlated well (r = 0.8) with the ratio of shoot dryweight to shoot length (an objective quality indicator). Our results confirm that the flower quality of snapdragons grown on ground trays can equal that of those grown in ground beds.


2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-174
Author(s):  
F. Hassan

This investigation was carried out to study the effect of 100, 200 and 300 ppm 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate (8-HQS) and 5 and 10% sucrose treatments on the vase life and post-harvest quality of cut flowers of Strelitzia reginae Ait. and Hippeastrum vittatum Herb. cv. Apple Blossome. All possible combinations of 8-HQS and sucrose were tested. The treatments were applied as holding solutions, and control flowers were held in distilled water till the end of the experiment. All the treatments significantly increased the vase life and number of open florets of Strelitzia reginae cut flowers compared to the control. Applying 8-HQS and sucrose treatments in both seasons improved the vase life and floret longevity of Hippeastrum vittatum cut flowers. In addition, the percentage of fresh weight gain from the initial weight and the carbohydrate content were also enhanced in both cut flower crops. In order to obtain the highest post-harvest quality of Strelitzia reginae Ait. and Hippeastrum vittatum Herb. cv. Apple Blossome cut flowers, treatment with 200 ppm 8-HQS + 10% sucrose was recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34
Author(s):  
Edwin Pulido ◽  
Raquel Rejane Negrelle ◽  
Francine Lorena Cuquel

Vriesea incurvata is a native bromeliad from Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest and commercialized as an ornamental pot plant. The morphological characteristics of its floral scape may also indicate it as a new product to use as a cut flower. However, its postharvest behavior was unknown. This study was conducted to determine its vase life by applying distilled water (control) and solutions containing sucrose (50 g L-1), salicylic acid (50 μM), and citric acid (50 g L-1) for periods of 8 and 24 h. Floral scapes maintained in solutions showed vase life greater than 16 days when compared to the control (distilled water). However, solutions with sucrose evidenced the best behaviors related to the maintenance of physiological and aesthetic features during the vase life of the floral scapes. It is concluded that solutions with sucrose, salicylic acid, and citric acid applied for 8 and 24 h extend the vase life of the V. incurvata floral scapes. Sucrose applied for 8 h promotes the maintenance of color, brightness, and turgidity; improves water balance, and reduces the relative fresh weight losses of floral scapes throughout the vase life, extending their longevity up to 24 days.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Sanjamveer S. Vehniwal ◽  
Raphael Ofoe ◽  
Samuel K. Asiedu ◽  
Jeff Hoyle ◽  
Lord Abbey

Cut flower vase life can be extended by various natural products, but their efficacy when mixed with compost tea is not reported. A study was performed to determine cut carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus cv. White Sim) vase life in 1 L of formulations (1) C3.5: 3.5% compost tea + 15 mg putrescine; (2) R5L10: C3.5 + 5 mL rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) + 10 mL lemon (Citrus limon) extracts; (3) R10L10: C3.5 + 10 mL rosemary + 10 mL lemon extracts; (4) R5L20: C3.5 + 5 mL rosemary + 20 mL lemon extracts; (5) R10L20: C3.5 + 10 mL rosemary + 20 mL lemon extracts; (6) Chrysal: Floral Chrysal Clear (positive control); and (7) Dw: distilled water alone (negative control). The 15 mg putrescine significantly (P=0.002) reduced compost tea turbidity by 34%. The neutral pH of C3.5 and Dw did not change. However, pH increased by 24% in Chrysal and reduced by 39% in R5L10, R10L10 and R5L20 and by 54% in R10L20 on day 11. TDS and EC were highest in Chrysal from days 1 to 11. Petal discoloration, wilt, shrinkage and neck bend were delayed by C3.5 followed by Chrysal and then R5L10, but were accelerated by the other treatments. In conclusion, the cut carnation cv. White Sim longevity as influenced by variations in the vase solutions was Chrysal (14 days) > C3.5 (12.6 days) > R5L10 (10.7 days) but ≤ 9 days in the other treatments. These results were confirmed by a 2-D principal component analysis biplot. Future study will investigate microbial interaction.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1330
Author(s):  
Edwin Villagrán ◽  
Jorge Flores-Velazquez ◽  
Carlos Bojacá ◽  
Mohammad Akrami

Cut flower production in the Bogotá savanna is one of Colombia’s main export products. Flower production is mainly carried out in greenhouses, as this type of production system has substantial advantages over crops grown in open fields. Protected agriculture provides timely climate management that improves crop yields. The objective of this work was to build and validate a 3D CFD numerical model to understand the spatial distribution of temperatures because of the air flow dynamics inside a typical greenhouse in the Bogotá savanna. Root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were the statistical indicators used between experimental and simulated wind speed and temperature data. The simulations considered twelve evaluation scenarios that were established based on the climatic conditions characteristic of the study region. The results indicate that under regional conditions of temperature and wind for this type of passive greenhouse, there is a deficient ventilation rate. This rate does not exceed 35 exchanges h−1 compared to the recommended rates for crops, which is between 45 and 60 air exchanges h−1. This renewal rate contributes to the heterogeneity of the microclimatic dynamics of the greenhouse, presenting hot spots with temperature values above 32 °C in all examined scenarios. For the lower air speed scenarios (<1 ms−1), these areas of high temperature can reach up to 50% of the cultivated area. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies should seek technical solutions to optimize the microclimatic conditions of the greenhouse design used in the Colombian floriculture sector.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian E. Loyola ◽  
John M. Dole ◽  
Rebecca Dunning

In the United States and Canada, there has been an increase in the demand for local specialty cut flowers and a corresponding increase in production. To assess the needs of the industry, we electronically surveyed 1098 cut flower producers and handlers in the United States and Canada regarding their current cut flower production and postharvest problems, and customer issues. We received a total of 210 responses, resulting in a 19% response rate. The results showed that the main production problem was insect management; crop timing was the second most important problem and disease management was the third. Crop timing encompasses a range of related issues such as determining the correct harvest stage, harvest windows that are too short, flowering all at once, or lack of control when the crop is ready to harvest. The main postharvest problems were temperature management, hydration, and flower food management. Timing and stem length were the two most mentioned species-specific production issues, with each one listed by 10% or more of the respondents for eight of the total 31 species. Regarding on-farm postharvest handling, hydration and vase life were the two most mentioned issues; they were reported for five and three species, respectively. For postharvest during storage and transport, damage and hydration were the most common issues; these were listed for three species each. The most commonly mentioned customer complaints were vase life and shattering, which were reported for six and two species, respectively. These results will allow researchers and businesses to focus on the major cut flower production and postharvest issues and on crops that are most in need of improvement in North America.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-183
Author(s):  
B.S. Obadamudalige ◽  
Chalinda Koshitha Beneragama ◽  
S.M.M.R. Mawalagedera

Alstroemeria spp. is one of the highly demanded cut flower in the local and global cut flower market. Short vase life of flowers and leaves, petal wilting, petal drop, and transparency of petals are major postharvest problems. The objective was to extend the vase life of Alstroemeria spp. with 1-methylcyclopropene and ascorbic acid. Freshly cut flowering stems of Alstroemeria spp. were treated with 1-methylcyclopropene (0.25 ppm) and ascorbic acid (57 mM) alone and in combination of the two, for six hours. Distilled water was used as the control. Postharvest concentrations of anthocyanin, chlorophyll and glucose in flowers were best maintained when treated with a combination of 1‐methylcyclopropene and ascorbic acid, compared to all other treatments. Percentage fresh weight loss was same among treatments. The best treatment to extend vase life of Alstroemeria spp. is the combination of 1‐methylcyclopropene and ascorbic acid, which extended the vase life by additional seven days compared to the control. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 7(2): 174-183


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