Postharvest performance of cut marigold, rose, and sunflower stems as influenced by homemade and commercial floral preservatives

Abstract

IntroductionFloral preservatives are a vital component of postharvest handling of cut flowers and are extensively used in floral arrangements to extend longevity and maintain quality (Nowak and Rudnicki, 1990;Çelikel and Reid, 2002;Ahmad et al., 2013). They maintain water uptake by controlling microbial growth and acidifying the solutions (McDaniel, 1996) and provide sugars necessary to carry on metabolic activities after harvest (Dole and Wilkins, 2005). Moreover, they improve flower color development, flower opening, and flower size (Nowak and Rudnicki, 1990).Different types of floral preservatives, e.g., hydrators, clarifiers, and holding or vase solutions, are produced by several manufacturing companies. Hydrators contain acidifying agents without sugars and are used immediately after harvest, transit, or dry storage to improve water uptake by the stems. Clarifiers contain antimicrobial compounds and are used to maintain water uptake by lowering vascular blockage and controlling microbial growth in the solution. Holding/vase solutions provide food for maintaining metabolic processes and continued flower opening during vase life, because they contain sugars along with acidifiers and biocides.Sugars are an important component of flower foods because they provide carbohydrates to the cut stems to continue metabolic processes necessary for extension of vase life. However, antimicrobial compounds must be used along with sugars to prevent microbial build-up in the solutions (van Doorn, 1997). Among these biocides, silver compounds such as silver nitrate and silver thiosulfate, chlorine compounds like sodium hypochlorite, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, and several other compounds like cobalt chloride, 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate or sulfate, Physan 20 (Greenshield), or Kathon CG are used to prevent microbial proliferation in vase solutions (Ichimura et al., 2006

Evaluation of some garden flowers as specialty cut flowers in Eskisehir province-Türkiye

“…The average maximum vase life of Tagates erecta was 12.8 days, while the minimum was 11.2 days. According to Ahmad & Dole (2014) , in their study, where they applied homemade and commercial flower preservatives to Tagates erecta flowers after harvest, they determined the longest vase life to be 15.7 and 15.5 days after different treatments. The lowest value was found at 7.9 days in tap water.…”