WATER FLOW IN CUT ROSE PEDUNCLES – DESTRUCTIVE AND NON DESTRUCTIVE MEASUREMENT METHODS

The difference in vase life and bent-neck resistances of the three cut rose cultivars ‘Akito’, ‘Milva’ and ‘Red Giant’ was evaluated by destructively and non-destructively investigating the water status of their peduncles.
Results of destructive measurements of the actual hydraulic conductivity (K_h), which represents the actual water transport capacity, showed that samples of ‘Milva’ and ‘Red Giant’ had higher K_h than those of ‘Akito’. In situ water flow velocity and water distribution in peduncles were analyzed by cold neutron radiography (CNR) and tomography (CNCT). The water flow velocity in peduncles of ‘Milva’ was highest that of ‘Akito’ was intermediate, while ‘Red Giant’ roses showed the least flow velocity.
These results seem to be inversely to those obtained from the K_h measurement.
Water losses of the peduncles during drought stress were estimated from the comparison of water distribution images obtained by CNCT. After drought stress the water losses of ‘Akito’ peduncles were largest, water losses of ‘Milva’ peduncles were similar to those of ‘Akito’. Hence, ‘Red Giant’ roses were able to retain tissue water in spite of the given drought stress.

V International Symposium on Rose Research and Cultivation

U. Matsushima, W. Graf, N. Kardjilov, A. Hilger, T. Nishizawa, H. Gruneberg, W.B. Herppich

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.870.34