Ethylene, 1-methylcyclopropene and silver thiosulfate on the post-production of ornamental pepper

Abstract

Species from Capsicum genus are used for different purposes and in more recent years as ornamental potted plant. Despite the increased commercial importance, there are only a few studies on the environmental factors affecting the post-production shelf life of these ornamental plants. The presence of ethylene induces various responses on potted peppers, reducing the shelf life of sensitive cultivars. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ethylene and the inhibitors of ethylene action, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and silver thiosulfate (STS) on the shelf life of potted 'Calypso' and 'MG 302' peppers. Cultivar 'MG 302' showed intermediate sensitivity to ethylene action, while the cultivar 'Calypso' showed complete abscission of leaves when exposed to ethylene. In both cultivars, treatment with STS + Ethylene presented symptoms of phytotoxicity in plants, while treatment with 1-MCP + Ethylene was effective in delaying senescence and abscission for the cultivar 'MG 302', while cultivar 'Calypso' showed abscission similar to control plants. Plants treated with STS showed the longest durability when compared to the other treatments, about six days for 'Calypso' and 18 days for 'MG 302'. Nevertheless, plants treated with 1-MCP also exhibited good shelf life, about six days for 'Calypso' and nine days for the 'MG 302'. Although the treatment with STS was more efficient on the plants shelf life, did not completely block the action of ethylene and exhibited some phytotoxicity, while the treatment with 1-MCP had good efficiency without inducing any toxicity.

Influence of 1-methylcyclopropene on the longevity of potted ornamental peppers

“…The sensitivity of ornamental plants to ethylene was roughly established at a family level, but there were differences between the species and cultivars (Serek et al, 2006). As previously shown by Segatto et al (2013) and Lima et al (2017), in the post-production stage, some cultivars of ornamental peppers have different levels of sensitivity to ethylene. According to the results of Segatto et al (2013), the accession BGH 1039 is more sensitive to the degradation of chlorophyll in the presence of ethylene.…”

“…After 18 days of shelf life, the ethylene treatment had about 75% of total fruit abscission, while in the treatments with 1-MCP, both with and without ethylene, there was still no fruit drop. Lima et al (2017) noted that ethylene treatment at a concentration of 10 µL L -1 for 48 h induced leaf abscission in the Calypso and MG 302 cultivars. However, when the same dose of 1-MCP was applied, the blocking of all the ethylene receptors did not occur, resulting in leaf abscission.…”

“…in the review of Ferrante et al (2015)). Studies are currently being conducted on the post-production of ornamental potted peppers (Segatto et al, 2013;Finger et al, 2015;Lima et al, 2017) and other species such as gentian and inflorescences of Oncidium varicosum (Shimizu-Yumoto & Ichimura, 2012;Mattiuz et al, 2012).…”

Effects of silver nitrate (AgNO3) on growth and anatomical structure of vegetative organs of liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) under in vitro condition

“…It has been proved that silver ions could be substituted by copper ions because of similarity in size and thus blocks the receptors and prevent the response from ethylene (Kumar et al, 2009;McDaniel and Binder, 2012). The inhibitory effect of silver ions on ethylene receptors and preventing its function is also reported by other researchers (Curtis, 1981;Alva Ticona and Oropeza, 2013;Moniuszko, 2015;Lima et al, 2017). Moreover, silver nitrate reduces its production by inhibiting aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, which exists in the ethylene biosynthesis pathway (Kumar et al, 2016).…”

1-methylcyclopropene prolongs the vase life of roses cv. Osiana

“…In Phalaenopsis (Chang et al, 2013) and Tropaeolum majus 1-MCP application prolonged vase life in the presence and absence of ethylene. In 'Calypso' and 'MG 302' Pepper, the application of 1-MCP did not block all ethylene receptors and, when applied ethylene, caused leaf abscission (Lima et al, 2017). Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on the vase life of rose cv.…”