EFFECT OF SUCROSE PULSING AND POSTHARVEST REHYDRATION DELAY ON VASE LIFE OF PROTEA ‘SUSARA’

Pulsing cut Protea ‘Susara’ flowering stems (P. magnifica × P. susannae) with 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 per cent sucrose respectively induced no statistical differences in vase life.
Flowering stem vase life varied between 14 and 16 days.
Vase life was affected more seriously by the loss of flower quality, which was correlated with bract curling, than by the incidence of leaf blackening, which was almost absent during vase life evaluations.
Sucrose pulsing did not prevent bracts from curling.
The effect of postharvest rehydration delay on flower vase life was also studied.
Cut flowering stems were kept dry for 0, 30, 60, 120, and up to 240 minutes after harvest, before rehydration.
Postharvest rehydration delay did not significantly affect vase life, which was 14.8 ± 4.3 days for flowers kept dry for 120 or 240 minutes after harvest, before rehydration.
With an adequate soil water content and low vapour pressure deficits at harvesting temperatures of about 18°C, flowers did not require carbohydrate pulsing to ensure an acceptable vase life.
If harvested under comparable environmental conditions, flowers can be kept dry for up to 4 hours after harvest, without compromising vase life.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Advances in Ornamentals, Landscape and Urban Horticulture

J.A. Rodríguez-Pérez, M.C. Vera-Batista, A.M. de León-Hernández, I. Rodríguez-Hernández

leaf blackening, bract curling, carbohydrates, Protea‘s, vapour pressure deficit

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.937.102