Post harvest of pink ginger floral stems treated with silver thiosulphate, sucrose, and calcium

Abstract

The Brazilian market of tropical flowers has been growing broadly with a strong participation of the Northeast Region, where the State of Alagoas stands out. Among the exporting tropical cut flowers, pink ginger (Alpinia purpurata (Vieill) K. Schum) has been one of the most promising species. Aiming at delaying senescence in floral stems of pink ginger, two laboratory experiments were carried out at the Agricultural Science Center of the Federal University of Alagoas. In the first experiment, three different exposure periods (30; 60, and 120 minutes) to silver thiosulphate 1 mM were tested, followed or not by pulsing in a 20% sucrose solution, for 12 hours. In the second experiment, we evaluated the effect of adding calcium sulphate 50 and 100 mM, sodium silicate 1.25 and 2.5 mM, and the combination of calcium sulphate 50mM + sodium silicate 1.25mM on the hydric status and longevity of floral stems. In both experiments, the control treatment consisted of keeping stems in distilled water. Fresh biomass and quality of floral stems were determined every other day. Silver thiosulphate applied in pulsing for 60 minutes or more led to stem dehydration, whereas calcium sulphate improved both stem hydration and commercial durability.

Heliconia ‘Golden Torch’ postharvest: stem ends cutting and renewing vase water benefits

“…However, it is not always feasible for some species, since cutting can trigger a cascade of physiological events associated with the wound which, in turn, induce ethylene synthesis and activation of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of lignin and other substances that are accumulated in the vessel cell wall, causing their obstruction and, therefore, water absorption is strongly affected (SILVA et al, 2009;WANG et al, 2014). Thus, the obtained results suggest that performing periodic cuts, analyzed in isolation, in the postharvest of 'Golden Torch' flower stems, causes a decrease in water absorption, with consequent fresh matter loss, associated with its postharvest longevity.…”

Cut gladiolus postharvest using holding solutions with calcium

“…The use of calcium in the postharvest has been a successful alternative to maintain the quality and to delay the senescence in cut flowers of gerbera (González-Aguilar & Zavaleta-Mancera, 2012), alpinia (Silva et al, 2009), rose (Dias & Patil, 2003;Mortazavi et al, 2007, Huerta et al, 2011 and gladiolus (Bai et al, 2009;. Sairam et al, 2011).…”