S-ABA DELAYS WILTING IN PETUNIA AND IMPATIENS

Impatiens walleriana and Petunia × hybrid are important flowering annuals and drought stress during shipping and retail display can be significant limiting factors in marketability.
S-Abscisic Acid (S-ABA) is being evaluated for use prior to shipping to reduce transpiration and delay wilting during retail.
Petunia and impatiens were grown in 11-cm containers until plants reached a marketable stage.
S-ABA was applied as a spray at concentrations of 500 to 2000 mg•L^-1 and then irrigation was withheld.
In both crops, S-ABA decreased transpiration water use and increased the time to wilt.
S-ABA at 2000 mg L^-1 had more effect on transpiration and time to wilt compared to 500 or 1000 mg L^-1. The response to S-ABA was greater in petunia than in impatiens.
A negative side effect observed in impatiens was a decrease in the number of flowers on sprayed plants.
In a separate experiment, S-ABA caused a reduction in flower number following both spray and drench applications, and the effect increased with S-ABA concentration.
Neither AVG nor 1-MCP prevented the impatiens flower abscission caused by S-ABA. In petunias, a side effect of both spray and drench applications was yellowing of lower leaves.
S-ABA spray applications did not cause the loss of turgor and lower leaf wilting that has been observed with drench applications.
In ‘Dreams White’ petunia, S-ABA caused some flowers to turn dark and senesce.
S-ABA will be useful in commercial production to reduce the amount of crop loss due to drought stress during retail.
However, strategies for mitigating the undesirable side effects are needed.

International Symposium on High Technology for Greenhouse Systems: GreenSys2009

J.E. Barrett, C.A. Bartuska

chlorosis, drought, flower abscission, Impatiens walleriana, Petunia × hybrid, transpiration

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.893.149