ROSE VASE LIFE: CULTIVAR AND CONTAMINATION SOURCE AS CRITICAL FACTORS

Variation in cut rose vase life was investigated with regards to cultivar and contamination source.
Three cultivars that were used were regarded by industry as long-lived (‘Cream Prophyta’, ‘Golden Gate’ and ‘Royal Prophyta’) and the other cultivars that were used were regarded as short-lived (‘Aurora’, ‘Pailine’ and ‘Snowy Jewel’). Pseudomonas fluorescens was used to contaminate vase water, secateurs, vase surface, and combinations of these treatments to explore the effect of contamination source on the vase life of ‘Golden Gate’ and ‘Snowy Jewel’. The contamination of secateurs was the least detrimental treatment (‘Golden Gate’ and ‘Snowy Jewel’) and contamination dried onto the vase surface was the most detrimental single treatment for ‘Golden Gate’. Apart from the contaminated secateurs treatment the vase life of ‘Snowy Jewel’ was reduced in a uniform way by each treatment, ‘Snowy Jewel’ reacted in an ‘all or nothing’ manner once a contamination level had been breached; this was not the case for ‘Golden Gate’.

International Conference Postharvest Unlimited Downunder 2004

G. Laird, P. John, S. Pearson

Cut roses, Rosa hybrida, Pseudomonas fluorescens, contaminated vase water, contaminated secateurs, contaminated vase surface

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.687.9