Hydrogen Nanobubble Water Delays Petal Senescence and Prolongs the Vase Life of Cut Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) Flowers.

Longna Li,Qianlan Yin,Pengfei Cheng,Sheng Xu,Wenbiao Shen,Tong Zhang

doi:10.3390/plants10081662

Abstract

The short vase life of cut flowers limits their commercial value. To ameliorate this practical problem, this study investigated the effect of hydrogen nanobubble water (HNW) on delaying senescence of cut carnation flowers (Dianthus caryophyllus L.). It was observed that HNW had properties of higher concentration and residence time for the dissolved hydrogen gas in comparison with conventional hydrogen-rich water (HRW). Meanwhile, application of 5% HNW significantly prolonged the vase life of cut carnation flowers compared with distilled water, other doses of HNW (including 1%, 10%, and 50%), and 10% HRW, which corresponded with the alleviation of fresh weight and water content loss, increased electrolyte leakage, oxidative damage, and cell death in petals. Further study showed that the increasing trend with respect to the activities of nucleases (including DNase and RNase) and protease during vase life period was inhibited by 5% HNW. The results indicated that HNW delayed petal senescence of cut carnation flowers through reducing reactive oxygen species accumulation and initial activities of senescence-associated enzymes. These findings may provide a basic framework for the application of HNW for postharvest preservation of agricultural products.

Highlights

The rapid senescence of cut flowers during postharvest periods limits their economic value
Cut carnation flowers incubated in distilled water and hydrogen nanobubble water (HNW)/hydrogen-rich water (HRW) with different concentrations were photographed to document the symptoms of senescence
The treatments with 1%, 5% HNW, and 10% HRW significantly prolonged the vase life of cut carnation flowers, which were assessed as 8.7 ± 0.7 d, 10.6 ± 1.0 d, or 8.6 ± 0.4 d, that prolonged vase life by 23.9%, 50.9%, or 22.3%, respectively, over the HFi2g-ufree1.cConhatrnogle(s7i.n0H±2 c0o.5ntden; tFoigf ufrreesh2hBy).dNroogteanbnlya,n5o%bubHbNleWwadteirsp(HlaNyWed) athnde hmyodsrtogoebnv-ioruicsh pwoastietriv(He RefWfe)c.t, which was greater than 10% HRW

Summary

Introduction

The rapid senescence of cut flowers during postharvest periods limits their economic value. Flower senescence is a coordinated and complex process, which is primarily related to loss of water, leakage of ions, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and synthesis and degradation of proteins and nucleic acids [1]. During the postharvest period for cut flowers, ROS overproduction was commonly observed, while scavenging of ROS may delay the onset of cut flower senescence as a result of increasing activities of antioxidant enzymes [1,2,3]. The degradation of protein exhibits a crucial role in the flower senescence, commonly accompanied with increased protease activity [1]. Chemical inhibition of protease delayed the time to visible senescence in Sandersonia [6] and Iris [7] flowers

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion