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Postproduction Evaluations of Potted Asiatic and Oriental Hybrid Lilies
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Additional index words. Lilium, potted flowering plant, senescence, transport Abstract. Potted Lilium Asiatic hybrids 'Aristocrat', 'Horizon', and 'Polka' were evaluated following 3, 6, or 9 days of transport at 2, 7, or 13C. 'Aristocrat' and 'Horizon' withstood transport with little or no effect on floral bud opening. 'Polka' was the most sensitive cultivar to transport, where bud opening decreased 33% when transported at 13C for 9 days. Most floral buds opened on 'Aristocrat' (90% to 98%), while fewer buds opened on 'Horizon' (37% to 56%) and 'Polka' (52% to 90%). Individual flower longevity and diameters were largely unaffected by transport. Plant longevity was reduced 4 to 7 days when transported for 9 days at ≥7C or for >3 days at 13C. Plant longevity averaged 16 days for 'Aristocrat' and 'Polka' and 12 days for 'Horizon'. 'Aristocrat' and the Oriental potted hybrid lily 'Star Gazer' were maintained at postproduction conditions of 18, 21, or 24C at 7 or 14 µmol • m –2 • s –1 after being commercially transported for 4 days at 5 ± 2C. Postproduction conditions had no effect on floral bud opening of 'Aristocrat' (98% to 99%), while bud opening of 'Star Gazer' was reduced 17% at 24C compared to 18C. Plants lasted 4 and 9 days longer at 18C than at 21 or 24C, respectively. Foliar discoloration was greatest at 24C. Irradiance level had no effect on the variables evaluated.
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While lilies are the fourth cut flower in the world and an important potted plant, much remains to be discovered about their postharvest physiology and characteristics. Lilies have two main postharvest issues: floral longevity and foliar chlorosis. Inclusion of sugar in the vase solution invariably improves flower life (individual flowers and the entire inflorescence), but sometimes increases leaf yellowing. Aside from possibilities in breeding longer lasting cultivars, a number of technologies have emerged for maximizing postharvest quality, among them refrigeration, application of gibberellin-containing hormones and anti-ethylene treatments (for both pot plants and cut flowers) and inclusion of carbohydrates in cut flower vase solutions. We have found that storage temperature differentially influences bud life based on bud age at the time of storage: warmer storage temperatures (e.g., 7°C vs. 1°C ) are beneficial in promoting opening of smaller buds, but often detrimental to life of larger (older) buds. During postharvest evaluation, an analysis of the extent of leaf senescence should also be made, as leaf chlorosis, (commonly associated with cold storage), is often more limiting to display life than flower senescence per se. Gibberellin (GA4+7) is routinely used in industry to combat leaf chlorosis in both potted plants (as a foliar spray) and cut flowers (as a postharvest pulse). After petal expansion, lily flowers generally have low sensitivity to ethylene, but as developing buds they are usually highly sensitive to ethylene. By protecting young, sensitive buds, the anti-ethylene action molecule 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) can play an important role in maximizing lily display life, especially in situations of exogenous ethylene contamination. Chilling injury is not widely recognized in lilies. Leaf chlorosis that develops during or rapidly after cold storage (prior to marketing) is an example of chilling injury. Another example is the development of necrotic spots in unopened buds during postharvest cold storage of certain Oriental hybrid cultivars.
The effects of cold storage of mature potted plants on postharvest leaf and flower quality were investigated in several cultivars of three major groups (Oriental, Asiatic and LA) of hybrid lilies (Lilium spp.). Mature plants were stored in darkness at 3°C for 2 weeks before placing them in a postharvest evaluation room (22°C) and were compared with plants moved directly to the evaluation room. The efficacy of GA4+7 plus benzyladenine (BA) treatments (applied just before cold storage) for preventing cold-induced postharvest disorders in each cultivar was also evaluated. In all cultivars, cold storage caused several adverse effects on postharvest quality, including accelerated leaf yellowing or browning, bud abortion and reduced flower or inflorescence longevity. Leaf abscission was observed only in Oriental-hybrids. Treatment with GA4+7 plus BA significantly reduced these disorders and improved the overall postharvest quality after cold storage. While different cultivars differed greatly in their sensitivity to cold storage, all the cultivars benefited from GA4+7 plus BA treatment. Experiments indicated that GA4+7 plus BA treatments could be applied as early as 2 weeks before the mature bud stage without compromising the positive effects.
The poststorage and post-shipping quality of Lilium longiflorum Thunb. ‘Nellie White’ plants sprayed with silver thiosulfate (STS) complex or phenidone was observed in a simulated interior environment. Bud abortion and foliar chlorosis increased while floral longevity declined with increasing storage period from 0 to 4 weeks in the dark at 2°C. One to 3 days of simulated, boxed shipment at 23° subsequent to 3 weeks storage at 2° further increased foliar chlorosis but did not influence bud abortion or floral longevity. Whole plant STS sprays (0.5 to 2.0 mM Ag) prior to harvest reduced storage-induced bud abortion and increased floral longevity, but did not reduce foliar chlorosis. Ethephon application to plants that had been stored for 3 weeks at 2° induced bud abortion and abnormal floral development. STS application (1.0 mM Ag) prior to storage reduced ethephon-induced disorders. Preharvest whole plant sprays of phenidone decreased bud abortion on stored and nonstored plants but did not influence floral longevity. Uptake of phenidone and STS through cut petioles enhanced ethylene production during opening of excised lily buds. Ethylene production increased while respiration declined during senescence of excised buds. STS did not reduce but did delay the peak of ethylene production during senescence of lily flowers. Chemical names used: 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone (phenidone); (2-chlorethyl)phosphonic acid (ethephon).
Commercial greenhouse operators are increasingly using “negative DIF” temperature regimes to control crop height. A negative DIF exists when greenhouse night temperature is greater than the day temperature. Large negative differences in day and night temperatures strongly suppress stem elongation in many crops. We have explored the effects of negative DIF temperature regimes on leaf, flower, and stem carbohydrate levels in Lilium longiflorum Thunb. `Nellie White'. During two growing seasons, `Nellie White' plants were grown under positive or negative DIF regimes (±5 or 8C) under prevailing daylengths, with temperatures adjusted so that daily temperature averages were equal between regimes. Plants were harvested ≈10 days after visible bud stage and at anthesis. Carbohydrates in stems, leaves, and flowers were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Compared to plants grown under positive DIF, negative DIF plants showed significantly reduced stem length and leaf and stem dry weights. Negative DIF regimes reduced leaf and stem total soluble carbohydrate (TSC) content by 39% to 46% at visible bud and anthesis, while flower TSC content was reduced by 10% to 13%.
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