The impact of water relations on the vase life of contrasting Anthurium andraeanum (Hort.) cut flowers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Genotypic differences in the moderation of water relations have been shown to play a key role in explaining differences in vase life in Anthurium andraeanum (Hort.). In this study, we compared the impact of a range of holding solutions on water relations in two cultivars with contrasting vase lives: ‘Spirit’ and ‘Honduras’ (designated as short vase life – ‘Spirit-S’ and long vase life – ‘Honduras-L’). The application of a biocide (8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate; 8-HQS), ‘stem’ re-cutting and a combination of both were tested for their potential to improve water uptake and vase life in the short-lived cultivar Spirit-S. The effects of osmotic conditions were compared for both cultivars, by placing cut flowers in a Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) solution. Re-cutting and biocide altered the pattern of water uptake, but neither treatment improved vase life, suggesting that occlusion of the peduncle/microbial obstruction were not important factors in determining vase life. PEG significantly reduced vase life in both cultivars. Honduras-L responded to PEG by significantly reducing its spathe osmotic potential, while no change was observed in Spirit-S. Thus, PEG-induced drought resulted in osmotic adjustment only in the long vase life cultivar, suggesting that a genotype’s capacity for osmotic adjustment influences vase life.