PULSING WITH SUCROSE AND SILVER THIOSULFATE EXTENDED THE VASE LIFE OF CONSOLIDA AJACIS

Consolida ajacis are important ornamental flowers used mainly in landscape plantings. However, once harvested, an intense browning and flower abscission take place in a few hours, making impossible to use it as cut flower. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of pulsing solutions containing sucrose and/or silver thiosulfate (STS) on longevity of Consolida ajacis. The flowers were harvested and the stems recut to 30 cm, and immediately pulsed with 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% sucrose for 6 hours or for 30 minutes in 1mM STS, followed by 6 hours in 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% sucrose. Thereafter, all treatments were transferred to vase containing water until at least 50% of flowers were wilted or abscised. Pulsing with 10% sucrose improved significantly the flower longevity from a quarter of day to 1.75 days. Flower stems preconditioned with 1mM STS, associated or not with 5% sucrose, had the longevity extended up to 9.2 days compared to untreated flowers.

VII International Symposium on Postharvest Physiology of Ornamental Plants

F.L. Finger

cut flower, postharvest handling, flower preservatives, ethylene, longevity

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.543.6