EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT COMPOUNDS ON THE MICROBIAL POPULATION OF CUT ´SHIRAZ NARCISSUS´ VASE SOLUTION

One of the important factors causing life reduction and cut flower deterioration is the disruption of cut flower water relation due to microorganism growth and proliferation in the vase solution.
This experiment was conducted to find the most suitable compound for controlling the micro organism population in the vase solution of cut ‘Shiraz’ Narcissus, one of the bulbous native cut flowers of Iran which is cultivated most extensively in Shiraz.
Thus, the stems of ‘Shiraz’ Narcissus cut flowers were exposed to 17 treatments; samples of vase solution were taken at the start of the experiment, 2, 4, and 6 days after placement in the treatments.
After decimal dilutions, samples were plated on nutrient agar.
The number of microorganisms was counted by the standard plate count method and the kinds of microorganisms were determined.
Treatments were tap water as control, sterilized distilled water, citric acid (150, 300, and 450 mg l^-1), 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (200, 300, and 400 mg l^-1), calcium hypochlorite (400, 600, and 800 mg l^-1), sodium hypochlorite (400, 600, and 800 mg l^-1), and aluminium sulphate (100, 200, and 300 mg l^-1). The most effective compound for controlling microbial growth and proliferation were 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate treatments, which did not contain any microbes even after 6 days.
After which the 800 mg l^-1 calcium and sodium hypochlorite was placed.
These two compounds did not contain any microbes until the fourth day.
Aluminium sulphate was the least effective compound.
Yeasts were the most spread microorganisms in the cut ‘Shiraz’ Narcissus vase solution after which Bacillus were placed.
Shrinking and browning of the proximal end, bleaching of the soaked part, yellowing and abortion of buds were the side effects of 8HQC, sodium hypochlorite and aluminium sulphate treatments respectively.

V International Postharvest Symposium

M.M. Jowkar

calcium hypochlorite, hydroxyquinoline citrate, microbial proliferation, Narcissus tazetta, postharvest, sodium hypochlorite, vase solution

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.682.227