The Vase Life of the Leaves of Selected Perennial Species after the Application of Growth Regulators

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the post-harvest life of the leaves of Hemerocallis × hybrida ‘Agata’, Limonium latifolium, and Heuchera hybrida ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ after the application of growth regulators from the group of gibberellins (GAs) and cytokinins (CKs), ionic liquids (2-hydroxyethyl)dimethylethylammonium gibberellinate [Chol][Gib] and acetylcholine gibberellinate [Gib][Ach]), as well as quaternary ammonium salts with the gibberellinate anion (1-ethyl quinine gibberellinate [Q-C2][Gib]) and 1-dodecyl acetylcholine gibberellinate [Q-C12][Gib]). The leaves were conditioned for 4 h in aqueous solutions of benzyladenine (BA), meta-methoxytopolin (MemT) and its riboside (MemTR), gibberellic acid (GA3), [Q-C2][Gib], [Gib][Ach], [Chol][Gib], and [Q-C12][Gib] at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg·dm−3. Conditioning of Hemerocallis × hybrida ‘Agata’ with MemT and [Chol][Gib] at both concentrations, [Q-C2][Gib] (100 mg·dm−3) and [Gib][Ach] (50 mg·dm−3), extended the vase life of the leaves by 7–9 days. The application of [Gib][Ach] (50 and 100 mg·dm−3) and [Q-C12][Gib] (100 mg·dm−3) resulted in the longest vase life of the leaves of Limonium latifolium. Conditioning of the leaves of Heuchera hybrida ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ with BA, MemT, and MemTR (50 and 100 mg·dm−3) extended their vase life by 9.5–51.3 days. BA at a concentration of 100 mg·dm−3 was the most effective. MemT (50 mg·dm−3), MemTR (100 mg·dm−3), [Q-C2][Gib] (100 mg·dm−3), [Gib][Ach] (100 mg·dm−3), and [Chol][Gib] (50 mg·dm−3) inhibited the degradation of proteins in the leaves of Hemerocallis × hybrida ‘Agata’; [Chol][Gib] (50 and 100 mg·dm−3)—in the leaves of Limonium latifolium; all the conditioners except for BA—in the leaves of Heuchera hybrida ‘Chocolate Ruffles’. GA3, MemTR, [Gib][Ach], [Q-C12][Gib] at both concentrations, [Q-C2][Gib], and [Chol][Gib] (50 mg·dm−3) inhibited the degradation of chlorophyll in the leaves of Hemerocallis × hybrida ‘Agata’. All conditioners except for [Gib][Ach] and [Q-C12][Gib] inhibited chlorophyll degradation in the leaves of Limonium latifolium. All conditioners except for MemT and MemTR (50 mg·dm−3) inhibited chlorophyll degradation in the leaves of Heuchera hybrida ‘Chocolate Ruffles’. [Chol][Gib] (50 mg·dm−3) was the most effective.