Evaluation of new cultivars of Gladiolus grandiflorus grown in subtropical conditions for their post-harvest performance and growth traits

Abstract

ABSTRACT The growth performance of exotic gladiolus cultivars in subtropical conditions along with their response to locally available preservatives to increase their vase life was evaluated. At first, corms of five gladiolus cultivars (White Prosperity, Chinan, Green Star, Piet Mohlan and Rose Supreme) were grown under natural field conditions, and their antioxidative enzymatic activities, gas exchange properties, pigments and growth evaluation were examined. The field grown gladiolus-spikes were further assessed for their post-harvest quality evaluation against preservative solutions (water; sugar solution, 10%; lemon juice, 20%; sugar, 10% + lemon juice, 20%). In the field study, the Green Star cultivar revealed higher activities of catalase (1.27%), guaiacol peroxidase (2.08%), superoxide dismutase (3.85%), photosynthetic rate (11.07%), chlorophyll a (1.32%), chlorophyll b (0.10%) and carotenoids (1.28%) compared to the local cultivar, White Prosperity. In the vase life evaluation study, sugar (10%) plus lemon juice (20%) as a preservative solution preserved spikes for maximum days with maximum relative fresh weight, open florets, membrane stability index and minimum bacterial growth in all gladiolus cultivars. We conclude that the Green Star cultivar is suggested to grow locally for its long spikes with a high number of florets and enhanced vase life duration using locally available preservatives.