Abstract
The present research was conducted to discover antimicrobial compounds in methanolic leaf extracts of Jatropha curcas and Andrographis paniculata and ethanolic leaf extract of Psidium guajava and the effectiveness against microbes on flower preservative solution of cut Mokara Red orchid flowers was evaluated. The leaves were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of nine, 66, and 29 compounds were identified in J. curcas, P. guajava, and A. paniculata leaf extracts, with five (88.18%), four (34.66%), and three (50.47%) having unique antimicrobial compounds, respectively. The experimental design on vase life was conducted using a completely randomized design with 10 replications. The flower vase life was about 6 days in the solution containing the P. guajava and A. paniculata leaf extracts at 15mg/L. Moreover, solution with leaf extracts of A. paniculata had the lowest bacterial count compared to P. guajava and J. curcas. Thus, these leaf extracts revealed the presence of relevant antimicrobial compounds. The leaf extracts have the potential as a cut flower solution to minimize microbial populations and extend flower vase life. However, the activities of specific antimicrobial compounds and double or triple combination leaf extracts to enhance the effectiveness to extend the vase life need to be tested.
Highlights
A major problem in Mokara Red orchid cut flowers is reduction in water uptake which could be due to the blockage of xylem vessels by microorganisms or air bubbles, causing flower senescence and shortening of vase life [1, 2]
Vase life ended when 30% of flowers appeared unattractive due to bud that remains closed and wilted, petal discoloration and wilting, floret epinasty and drop, and stem yellowing
2% sucrose and 3% citric acid were added to each flower preservative solution
Summary
A major problem in Mokara Red orchid cut flowers is reduction in water uptake which could be due to the blockage of xylem vessels by microorganisms or air bubbles, causing flower senescence and shortening of vase life [1, 2]. When the stem is cut, air is immediately aspired into all opened xylem conduits. This air will at first be restricted to the opened conduits. Since vase water bacteria cannot move from one xylem vessel to the other and polysaccharides excreted by bacteria move only partially up the stem, the blockage that occurs further up the stem is mainly due to air bubbles in the xylem conduits [4]. The pollination mechanisms of several species have been studied, deceptive systems still remain to be investigated [5]
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