Effects of Chemical Preservatives and Water quality on Postharvest Keeping Quality of Cut Lisianthus ( Eustoma grandiflorum L.).
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Date
2013Author
Hutchinson, MJ
Muchiri, J.N.
Waithaka, K
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This study was carried out to investigate effects of various chemicals added to vase solutions and also
effects of water quality on the post
-
harvest physiology of Lisianthus (
Eustoma grandiflorum
L.) cut stems.
The vas
e life, floret opening and water balance of Lisianthus cut stems were improved when cut flowers
were held in vase solutions containing either 8
-
HQC, AgNO
3
, NaOCl or their combinations. Vase solution
containing 8
-
HQC at 250 ppm and NaOCl at 50 ppm produced
the best results whereby vase life
increased from 10 to 29 days, floret opening from 46 to 82%. Cumulative water uptake increased from
114 to 236 gm/hr
per
inflorescence compared to control cut flowers held in de
-
ionized water. The rate of
water uptake, ho
wever, declined as flowers senesced in all vase solutions. However, Al
2
(SO
4
)
3
alone or
in combination with NaOCl did not improve the vase life of cut flowers. Vase life and floret opening of cut
flowers held in vase solutions made with water from various
sources decreased significantly (P>0.05)
compared to those held in de
-
ionized water. However, there was a significant
(P<0.05)
increase of the
same parameters when 8
-
HQC and NaOCl were incorporated in vase solutions made from the various
water sources and
pH adjusted to 3.5. In conclusion, incorporation of 8
-
HQC and NaOCl into vase
solutions improved the postharvest physiology of cut Lisianthus flowers. Incorporating biocides in vase
solutions, made with water from any source and adjusting their pH to 3.5,
improved the vase life, floret
opening, and water uptake of cut flowers by two
-
fold regardless of the water source and quality.
Keywords
C
ut
-
flowers,
Eustoma
grandiflorum
, floret opening, post
-
harvest, storage period, vase life
.
Citation
Bots. J. Agric. Appl. Sci (2013) 9 (Issue 1) xx - xxPublisher
University of Nairobi