Effects of storage temperature and abscisic acid treatment on the vase-life of cut ‘First Red’ and ‘Akito’ roses

Abstract

SummaryAbscisic acid (ABA) treatment can confer chilling tolerance upon certain plant tissues that suffer injury at low temperatures. The present study investigated the efficacy of two post-harvest ABA treatments in suppressing low temperature injury (LTI) in cut rose (Rosa hybrida L.) flowers stored at 1°C or 5°C. A shortened vase-life was recorded for roses stored at 5°C compared to untreated roses and those stored at 1°C. Storage at 1°C significantly (P ≤ 0.01) increased electrolyte leakage in ‘Akito’ roses compared to roses stored at 5°C, or to untreated roses. Storage of ‘First Red’ and ‘Akito’ roses at 1°C or 5°C significantly (P ≤ 0.01) increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of petal and leaf tissues. The highest MDA contents were recorded in roses stored at 1°C. ABA at 10 µM as a spray, or at 0.1 M as a pulse treatment, did not affect the MDA contents of either leaves or petals. When averaged over the two storage temperature treatments, the ABA content was highest in roses pulse-treated with 0.1 M ABA, followed by those sprayed with 10 µM ABA, then by untreated (control) roses. However, this increase did not have any apparent effect on the longevity or senescence of the cut roses. Moreover, this trend was inconsistent across all storage treatments. Pulsing with 0.1 M ABA or spraying with 10 µM ABA before storage did not significantly (P >0.05) affect vase-life. However, pulsing ‘Akito’ roses with 0.1 M ABA before storage tended to reduce the level of electrolyte leakage from leaves.