U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Crops Pathology and Genetics Research: Davis, CA
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Outreach Events
                        UC Davis Picnic Day
                                    Kinders go to College
                                    STEM Girls
                                    Future Scientist Program
                                    Agriculture Future of America
                                    Wallace-Carver Fellowship
                                    Young Scholars Program
                                    Annual Awards Banquet
                    About Us
                        About Us
                                    Our Mission
                                    Principal InvestigatorsSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Pacific West Area Davis, California Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications
- Etiology and Biology of Tree Crop Diseases
- Rice Genetics
- Sustainable Floriculture
- Sustainable Viticulture

Title:   Author  item
                                            MACNISH, ANDREW - UC DAVIS, PLANT SCIENCESitem
                                            DE THEIJE, ANNAMARIE - UC DAVIS, PLANT SCIENCESitem
                                            REID, MICHAEL - UC DAVIS, PLANT SCIENCESitem
                                            Jiang, Cai-Zhong
  Submitted to: Acta Horticulturae
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2009
                                    Publication  Date: 12/1/2009
                                    Citation: Macnish, A., De Theije, A., Reid, M.S., Jiang, C. 2009. An Alternative postharvest handling strategy for cut flowers-dry handling after harvest. Acta Horticulturae.  847: 215-221.Interpretive Summary: It is customary to hydrate cut flowers after harvest.  This practice can restore the loss in flower turgidity that occurs during dry handling of stems in the greenhouse and help limit water deficit stress associated with subsequent dry shipment.  Hydration after harvest also ensures continued growth and development (e.g. petal expansion, flower opening) of cut flowers.  In addition, hydration provides an opportunity to administer water soluble chemical inhibitors of ethylene action (e.g. silver thiosulfate) and leaf senescence (e.g. cytokinin) to flowers.
Although immediate postharvest hydration is thought to extend the longevity of flowers by reducing desiccation, there has been no detailed study of this hypothesis.  Given the considerable cost of infrastructure and time taken to provide postharvest hydration it seems important to validate this practice.  Indeed, it is possible that hydrating some flower species prior to conventional dry shipment may not always be desirable.  Hydrating flowers after harvest may increase the risk of introducing bacterial occlusions into stems, either directly from contaminated solutions or by continued growth of bacteria in xylem conduits during dry shipment.
In the current study, rose flowers were used to test the hypothesis that dry handling of harvested stems would not compromise flower quality and longevity.  We harvested rose flowers from commercial farms near Bogotá, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador.  Flowers were either hydrated as per conventional practice, or not provided with immediate postharvest hydration.  They were then processed and transported to Davis, California, following standard commercial practices.  Despite substantial loss of water during transport, dry-handled flowers rehydrated fully, and performed at least as well in the vase as flowers handled according to the standard protocol.  Our data suggest that the value of immediate hydration of harvested flowers should be carefully examined, not only for roses, but for other important species.
                                Technical Abstract: The most traditional first step after harvesting flowers is to place the cut stems into water or a postharvest solution.  Although this step is thought to reduce desiccation, and thereby extend postharvest life, there has been no detailed study of this hypothesis.  We harvested rose flowers from commercial farms near Bogotá, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador.  Flowers were either hydrated as per conventional practice, or not provided with immediate postharvest hydration.  They were then processed and transported to Davis, California, following standard commercial practices.  Despite substantial loss of water during transport, dry-handled flowers rehydrated fully, and performed at least as well in the vase as flowers handled according to the standard protocol.  Our data suggest that the value of immediate hydration of harvested flowers should be carefully examined, not only for roses, but for other important species.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov