| heal.abstract |
Polygala myrtifolia (Polygalaceae) is an evergreen ornamental shrub with impressive, rich, attractive foliage and long-lasting flowering which is thoroughly established in Greece. The objective of this study was the evaluation of post-harvest performance on cut Polygala myrtifolia inflorescences and the investigation of wet storage effects at 2°C, 5°C and 10°C on the vase life of cut Polygala myrtifolia inflorescences. Ten replicates per group of cut flowering shoots, 15 cm in length, were placed in glass vases with distilled water, inside controlled environment incubators running at 2°C, 5°C and 10°C, with each temperature treatment extending for 2, 5 and 7 days. After the wet storage, inflorescences were transferred to individual glass vases, each containing 100 mg L-1 DICA (dichloroisocyanuric acid sodium salt dihydrate 98%, Fluka) and kept in controlled environment incubators set at 20°C for 10 days. Untreated controls (stems which were kept at 20°C for the duration of the experiment) were used as a measure of baseline performance. Vase-solution uptake by inflorescences kept at 2°C and 5°C was significantly (P<0.05) higher compared to the controls. The smallest decrease in fresh weight (FW) was recorded at 2°C (P<0.05). Treatments maintained at this temperature for 5 and 7 days increased flower vase-life (10 days), compared to the controls (6.9 days) (P<0.05) and justified by equivalent levels of chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) ratio before and after the wet storage. Furthermore, the flower opening scores (FOS) of inflorescences placed in wet storage increased at 2°C, in the treatment of 2 days (69.9%) and 5 days (70.2%), compared to the controls (46.2%) (P<0.05). In contrast, at 10°C the wet storage had only a positive effect on the sustainability of foliage, which prevented low temperature injury (LTI) when inflorescences were kept for 2 days. © ISHS 2013. |
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