Pre-harvest 1-methylcyclopropene application affects post-harvest physiology and storage life of the cut rose cv. Carola

Abstract

We evaluated and optimized the effects of an alternative pre-harvest application of the non-toxic ethylene action inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP)on the physiology and storage life of the cut rose (Rosa hybrida) cv. Carola. Cut rose was treated with a single pre-harvest liquid formula spray of 10 μL·L-11-MCP or a single treatment of a modified atmosphere packaging of 50-μm thick polyethylene film (PE50), or a combination of the two (1-MCP+PE50), and the effects on vase life, storage life, and cold storage senescence related physiological changes were evaluated. Cut rose subjected to the pre-harvest 1-MCP spray treatment had the longest storage life (26 days), while those subjected to PE50, 1-MCP+PE50, and the untreated control treatment had mean storage lives of 22, 19, and 16 days, respectively. Additionally, the pre-harvest 1-MCP spray treatment significantly extended the vase life of cold-stored flowers for zero or six days, by 27.08% and 42.55%, respectively. The pre-harvest spray treatment significantly suppressed respiration intensity, ethylene production, soluble protein degradation, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) production, and ACC oxidase activity. The 1-MCP+PE50 treatment compromised all the effects of the 1-MCP treatment except the effect on soluble protein content. We conclude that a pre-harvest 1-MCP spray treatment has positive effects on the vase life and storage longevity of cut rose, and that combining this treatment with a PE50 package diminishes these effects.