GREENHOUSE CLIMATE AND KEEPING QUALITY OF ROSES

The influence of air humidity and lighting period on the postharvest keeping quality of cut roses have been studied in a series of experiments. Increasing the relative humidity from 70-80% to 90% during growth, strongly reduced the vase life of many cultivars. For the most sensitive cultivars more than 12 h daily with high humidity seemed to be critical. Also extending the lighting period from 18 to 24 h day-1 had a negative effect on the vase life in many cultivars. The microclimate around the leaves during growth, influenced the regulation of water loss from the leaves after harvest, and therefore affected the vase life. A study of the relationship between the climate in six commercial greenhouses and the vase life of roses supported the results from the controlled environment experiments.

VII International Symposium on Postharvest Physiology of Ornamental Plants

L.M. Mortensen

air humidity, lighting period, microclimate, water relations

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.543.24