Cut Lilies Research Articles

Polyglutamic acid as a vase life improver for cut lilies

Polyglutamic acid as a vase life improver for cut lilies

Effects of different fertilization schemes on the quality of cut lily under the condition of frame-type soilless culture

Studies on fertilization methods for cut lilies have resulted in varying opinions on whether and when fertilization should be applied during lily cultivation, and the amount and rate of fertilization. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of different fertilization schemes on the quality of cut lily, seek the most suitable fertilization scheme for the growth and development of cut lily, and provide a scientific theoretical basis for rational fertilization in the production of cut lily. The mainstream cut lily varieties 'Conca d'Or', 'Sorbonne' and 'Siberia' were used as experimental materials to study the effects of different fertilizers and fertilization methods on the growth and quality of lilies. The results showed that A1 (without basal fertilizer) germinated the earliest and had the highest plant height in the vegetative growth period. A2 (nitrate nitrogen compound fertilizer 2 g/plant as basal fertilizer treatment) budded the earliest. The overall best quality of ‘Conca d'Or' cut flowers is A1B3 treatment (none basal fertilizer, YaraMila Compound fertilizer 2 g/plant as topdressing), 'Sorbonne' is A2B3 treatment (Yangfeng nitrate nitrogen compound fertilizer 2 g/plant, YaraMila Compound fertilizer 2 g/plant), 'Siberia' is A2B1 treatment (nitrogen compound fertilizer 2 g/plant as base fertilizer, none top dressing); and A2B1 treatment is ranked at the forefront in the ranking of all indicators of the three varieties. In conclusion, excessive fertilization significantly reduced the quality of cut lilies. One-time fertilization can meet the nutritional needs of high-quality cut lily, of which A2B1 treatment (nitrate nitrogen compound fertilizer 2 g/plant as base fertilizer, none top-dressing) is the combination with lower cost and the best effect in one-time fertilization scheme, suitable for cut lily promotion and use in production.

Nonrefrigerated Dry Storage Can Have Negative Effects on Postharvest Quality of Cut Lilium

Water uptake is a critical issue for postharvest physiology of cut flowers. After harvest, cut flowers lose access to water from roots and sometimes develop emboli inside the xylem, which can disrupt water uptake and undermine flower longevity. The duration of dry storage (desiccation) before flowers are placed in a vase may affect rehydration capability. Despite the appreciated importance of desiccation time on water balance, the duration of desiccation that might cause irreversible damage in Lilium sp. L. is unknown. Therefore, we investigated effects of pre-vase dehydration on water uptake and postharvest quality of cut lilies. Stems of Lilium ‘Nashville’, ‘Santander’, and ‘Sorbonne’ were subjected to 0, 8, 24, or 48 hours of dehydration at 20 °C, then rehydrated in a solution containing 2% sucrose and a biocide. Water uptake in the first 24 hours of rehydration was significantly greater in dehydrated stems than in control (0 hour) stems. Although dehydration treatments increased water uptake in the first 24 hours after rehydration, total water uptake in dehydrated stems over the ensuing 9- to 10-day vase period was significantly less than in controls. In the vase, 48 hours of dehydration reduced the total water uptake in ‘Nashville’ by 27% and in ‘Sorbonne’ by 48%. Individual flower life and stem vase life were not affected significantly by dehydration treatment; however, ‘Sorbonne’ stems dehydrated for 24 or 48 hours had smaller flowers than controls and those that underwent the 8-hour dehydration treatment. ‘Nashville’ stems dehydrated for 24 hours showed visible leaf yellowing 3 days earlier than controls; ‘Sorbonne’ dehydrated for 48 hours showed leaf yellowing 2 days earlier. We conclude cut lilies have an ability to recover partially from significant dehydration and can restore water uptake initially, but pre-vase dehydration reduces total water uptake and affects some postharvest attributes negatively.

Sucrose + 8-HQC improves the postharvest quality of lily and rose cut flowers by regulating ROS-scavenging systems and ethylene release

The objective of the present investigation was to study the effects of sucrose + 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (8-HQC) on the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging systems and ethylene release during the vase life of cut lilies (ethylene-insensitive type) and roses (ethylene-sensitive type). ROS production and the degree of lipid peroxidation increased with the senescence of cut lily and rose flowers. The treatment with sucrose + 8-HQC enhanced ROS-scavenging abilities, decreased Superoxide radical (O2.−) release and mitigated the oxidative damage marked by lower malondialdehyde (MDA) level, although the up-regulated extent of each antioxidant enzyme was not exactly the same in both cut flower species. The treatment of sucrose + 8-HQC decreased the level of proline in cut rose, which suggested water stress of cut rose was alleviated. On the other hand, the increase of proline in cut lily due to sucrose + 8-HQC was elaborated. The preservation effect induced by sucrose + 8-HQC was involved in the regulation of ethylene production in ethylene-sensitive cut flowers, not in ethylene-insensitive cut flowers. From the results of ethylene and proline analysis, it can be found that there are differences in the regulation mechanism of sucrose on the fresh-keeping of the two cut flowers, but the treatment with sucrose and 8-HQC can improve the postharvest quality of cut flowers with different sensitivity to ethylene by enhancing ROS-scavenging activities and alleviating lipid peroxidation.

Comprehensive Flavor Analysis of Volatile Components During the Vase Period of Cut Lily (Lilium spp. 'Manissa') Flowers by HS-SPME/GC-MS Combined With E-Nose Technology.

Volatile compounds could affect the flavor and ornamental quality of cut flowers, but the flavor change occurring during the vase period of the cut flower is unclear. To clarify the dynamic changes during the vase period of cut lily (Lilium spp. ‘Manissa’) flowers, comprehensive flavor profiles were characterized by the electronic nose (E-nose) and headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). The response value of sensor W2W was significantly higher than other sensors, and its response value reached the highest on day 4. A total of 59 volatiles were detected in cut lilies by HS-SPME/GC-MS, mainly including aldehydes, alcohols, and esters. There were 19 volatiles with odor activity values (OAVs) greater than 1. Floral and fruity aromas were stronger, followed by a pungent scent. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) could effectively discriminate lily samples derived from different vase times on the basis of E-nose and HS-SPME-GC-MS. In summary, our study investigates the flavor change profile and the diversity of volatile compounds during the vase period of cut lilies, and lilies on day 4 after harvest exhibited excellent aroma and flavor taking into consideration of the flavor intensity and diversity. This provided theoretical guidance for the assessment of scent volatiles and flavor quality during the vase period of cut lily flowers and will be helpful for the application of cut lilies during the postharvest process.

Small HSPs play an important role in crosstalk between HSF-HSP and ROS pathways in heat stress response through transcriptomic analysis in lilies (Lilium longiflorum)

BackgroundHigh temperature seriously limits the annual production of fresh cut lilies, which is one of the four major cut flowers in the global cut flower market. There were few transcriptomes focused on the gene expression of lilies under heat stress. In order to reveal the potential heat response patterns in bulbous plants and provide important genes for further genetic engineering techniques to improve thermotolerance of lily, RNA sequencing of lilies under heat treatments were conducted.ResultsIn this study, seedlings of Lilium longiflorum ‘White Heaven’ were heat-treated at 37 °C for different lengths of time (0 h, 0.5 h, 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, and 12 h with a 12 h-light/12 h-dark cycle). The leaves of these lily seedlings were immediately collected after heat treatments and quickly put into liquid nitrogen for RNA sequencing. 109,364,486–171,487,430 clean reads and 55,044 unigenes including 21,608 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (fold change ≥2) were obtained after heat treatment. The number of DEGs increased sharply during the heat treatments of 0.5 h–1 h and 1 h–3 h compared to that of other periods. Genes of the heat stress transcription factor (HSF) family and the small heat shock proteins (small HSPs, also known as HSP20) family responded to heat stress early and quickly. Compared to that of the calcium signal and hormone pathways, DEGs of the HSF-HSP pathway and reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathway were significantly and highly induced. Moreover, they had the similar expression pattern in response to heat stress. Small HSPs family genes were the major components in the 50 most highly induced genes at each heat stress treatment and involved in ROS pathway in the rapid response to heat stress. Furthermore, the barley stripe mosaic virus induced gene silencing (BSMV-VIGS) of LlHsfA2 caused a significantly reduced thermotolerance phenotype in Lilium longiflorum ‘White Heaven’, meanwhile decreasing the expression of small HSPs family genes and increasing the ROS scavenging enzyme ascorbate peroxidase (APX) genes, indicating the potential interplay between these two pathways.ConclusionsBased on our transcriptomic analysis, we provide a new finding that small HSPs play important roles in crosstalk between HSF-HSP and ROS pathways in heat stress response of lily, which also supply the groundwork for understanding the mechanism of heat stress in bulbous plants.

Cut Flower Characteristics and Growth Traits under Salt Stress in Lily Cultivars.

Salt stress is a major constraint of crop productivity because it reduces yield and limits the expansion of agriculture. This study investigated salt tolerance in 26 cultivars of cut lilies (Lilium hybrids) by examining the effect of salt stress on the growth and morphological characteristics of flowers and leaves and their physiological properties (chlorophyll a fluorescence). Salt stress significantly affected the growth and development of cut lilies. Canonical discriminant analysis indicates that the middle leaf width, number of flowers, first flower diameter, petal width, and chlorophyll a fluorescence were correlated with salt stress, whereas plant height, the middle leaf length, days to flowering, and sepal width were less affected by the stress. The cultivars examined were divided into three groups: Group 1 included the salt-sensitive cultivars, which failed to develop normal flowers; Group 2 included cultivars sensitive to salt stress but tolerant to osmotic stress; and Group 3 was the salt-tolerant group, which developed commercially valuable flowers. In conclusion, the cultivars contained a variable range of cut flower characteristics and growth traits that can be employed for lily breeding programs and as material for molecular mechanisms and signaling networks under salt stress.

Effect of oxalic acid on vase life and antioxidative activities of ‘Mero Star’ cut lily flowers

Lily (Lilium L. hybrids) is sub-tropical cut flower that can be grown in open place or in green house and has consumer demand in local as well as in offshore markets. Short vase life, postharvest decay of flowering petals, activities of oxidative enzymes, malondialdehyde contents, electrolyte leakage and low water ratio are the main problems in marketing of cut lilies. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of oxalic acid (OA) treatments on vase life (12 days) and postharvest quality of ‘Mero Star’ cut lily flowers. The flowering stems were placed in 2, 4 and 6% aqueous solution of OA for 12 days at 20±2 °C with 70±5% relative humidity. Flowers placed in 6% OA solution exhibited longest vase life and flower diameter with higher relative water content and increased fresh weight and reduced flower decay. Reduced malondialdehyde contents and electrolyte leakage with higher activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes were also noted in 6% OA-treated flowers. In conclusion, exogenous postharvest application of 6% OA extended vase life and maintained postharvest quality of cut flowers by reducing electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde contents with higher antioxidative enzymes activities.

High-efficiency somatic embryogenesis techniques for different hybrids of cut lilies

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a unique method of in vitro regeneration for plant reproduction, germplasm resource preservation, and molecular-assisted breeding. Although lily is an internationally valued ornamental plant, its SE technology is still incomplete. Here, the effects of different explants, picloram (PIC) concentrations, and light conditions on somatic embryo induction, development, germination and seedling formation were studied in five Lilium varieties belonging to different hybrids. The embryo histomorphology, development and origins were observed, and a broadly efficient embryogenesis system was firstly established in Lilium. With leaf explants, all varieties tested underwent indirect somatic embryogenesis (SE). With scale explants, the Lilium Asiatic ‘Strawberry and Cream’, Lilium Oriental ‘Double Surprise’, and Lilium longiflorum Thunb. ‘White Heaven’ underwent indirect SE and the Lilium longiflorum × Asiatic hybrid ‘Eyeliner’ and Lilium longiflorum × Oriental ‘Triumphator’ underwent direct SE. Somatic embryogenesis in the above varieties involved four stages: globular, heart-shaped, torpedo-shaped, and cotyledon embryos. Two original SE pathways (endogenous and exogenous) were observed, and their appearance times differed. In indirect SE, exogenous embryos appeared first, followed by endogenous embryos; whereas in direct SE, the order was reversed. The different somatic embryo origins and the proportion of internal and external origins were closely related to the occurrence of somatic embryos by direct or indirect pathways and significantly affected the induction cycle of somatic embryos. Dark culture promoted lily somatic embryo induction, while 16 h/day light culture promoted germination, and the germination rates of all five lily varieties exceeded 90%. Murashige Skoog (MS) medium + (1.5–2.5 mg L−1) PIC + 0.2 mg L−1 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) was suitable for SE from lily leaves and scales with an induction efficiency of 88–96%. Our research developed a widely applicable regeneration procedure for different hybrids of lily via somatic embryogenesis. Morphohistological analysis confirmed the origins, developmental stages and dynamic changes of cells during in vitro morphogenesis. This study will provide a valuable reference for the propagation of Lilium.

Effect of pre-harvest application of promalin and 1-MCP on preservation of cut lily and its relationship to energy metabolism

Abstract Lilies (Lilium spp.) are in demand worldwide because of their superior commercial and ornamental value. To develop new and practical preservation technologies, effects of pre-harvest treatment of Promalin (a.i. 1.8% each of 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) and gibberellic acid (GA4 + 7)) and 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on cut lily under cold storage were investigated. Oriental lily ‘Sorbonne’ was selected for this study. The field plants at coloring stage were sprayed with 25 mg L−1 Promalin, 30 μL L−1 1-MCP additionally, their combination (1-MCP + Promalin) was also tested. Deionized water was used as control. The flower stems were harvested 24 h later and stored at 3 ± 1 °C. Preservation effect and physiological changes, e.g. inflorescence life, flower life, opening rate, dry weight loss rate, respiration rate, ethylene production rate, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, energy metabolism related indexes including adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, energy charge, activities of ATP synthase (ATPase), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), cytochrome oxidase (CCO) and Ca2+-ATPase were determined. The results showed that 1-MCP or Promalin treatment extended the vase life of stored cut lilies and inhibited the decline of the dry weight of petals, reduced respiration rate, ethylene production rate, LOX activity and the accumulation of MDA. They also maintained the activity of ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase, SDH, CCO, ATP content and energy charge of cut lilies at a higher level than control. 1-MCP + Promalin exhibited an additive effect. Combination treatment maintained the flower opening ability as high as 89.3% after five-week storage, control merely maintained it till 3 weeks. These data indicate growth regulators (e.g. 1-MCP or Promalin) can extend the storage life of cut lily ‘Sorbonne’ through cutting down respiration consumption and manipulation of energy balance.

Effect of hydrogen-rich water on vase life and quality in cut lily and rose flowers

Hydrogen gas (H2) functions as an important signaling molecule in diverse plant developmental processes. H2 is thought to delay postharvest ripening and senescence in fruit. However, little is known about the influence of H2 on flower senescence. This study was conducted to determine whether H2 treatment could improve vase life and quality in cut lily (Lilium spp.) and rose (Rosa hybrid L.) flowers. Treatment with 0.5% and 1% hydrogen-rich water (HRW) increased vase life and maximum flower diameter in lily. In addition, 50% HRW treatment significantly increased vase life and maximum flower diameter in cut rose flowers. The fresh weight and leaf relative water content in cut lilies and roses were enhanced by proper doses of HRW. Compared with the control, HRW treatment decreased leaf stomata size in cut lily and rose flowers. HRW treatment significantly reduced leaf malondialdehyde contents and electrolyte leakage in cut lilies. Antioxidant enzyme activities were also improved by HRW treatment in cut lily and rose flowers. These results suggest that exogenously applied H2 might improve vase life and postharvest quality in cut flowers by maintaining proper water balance and membrane stability and by reducing stomata size and oxidative damage.

Ethylene tolerance and carbohydrate content of hybrid cut lilies as affected by storage and pretreatment with silver thiosulfate or 1‑methylcyclopropene

Ethylene tolerance and carbohydrate content of hybrid cut lilies as affected by storage and pretreatment with silver thiosulfate or 1‑methylcyclopropene

X-ray Irradiation Control of Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella intonsa (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in the Exportation of Freshly Cut Lily Flowers.

Lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) is the most representative bulb flower, and it is the third most important flower in the flower industry of South Korea after rose and chrysanthemum. To determine the efficacy of X-ray irradiation for use in quarantine processing, two species of flower thrips (Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)) were placed in the top, middle, and bottom locations of lily boxes and irradiated with different X-ray doses. After irradiation with an X-ray dose of 150 Gy, the egg hatching of the two flower thrips was completely inhibited at every location in the lily boxes, and the irradiated F. intonsa and F. occidentalis nymphs failed to emerge as adult in every location of the lily boxes. When the adults were irradiated at 150 Gy, the fecundity of the two flower thrips was markedly lower than that of the untreated control groups. The F1 generation failed to hatch at the top and middle locations, whereas the F1 generation of both F. intonsa and F. occidentalis was not suppressed at the bottom locations, even at 200 Gy. However, hatching was perfectly inhibited at 300 Gy of X-ray irradiation. Also, X-rays did not affect the postharvest physiology of cut lilies. Therefore, a minimum dose of 300 Gy is recommended for the control of F. intonsa and F. occidentalis for the exportation of lily.

Controlling Botrytis elliptica Leaf Blight on Hybrid Lilies through the Application of Convergent Chemical X-ray Irradiation.

X-ray irradiation with convergent chemicals such as nano-silver particles or sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) has been used to control leaf blight on cut lilies. The oriental hybrid lily cultivars Siberia, Le Reve, and Sorbonne were irradiated five times by 200 Gy of X-rays in 2014. In 2015, Siberia and Sorbonne were irradiated three times by 150 Gy of X-rays. After artificial infection with Botrytis elliptica on the leaves and petals of cut lilies, this study used convergent chemical X-ray irradiation of 200 Gy or 150 Gy. Leaf and petal blight was measured in terms of incidence and severity at 8 days after infection using total 552 cuttings. Results indicate that the treatments of X-ray irradiation and NaDCC in 2014 and 2015 slightly decreased the severity of petal blight on Siberia and Sorbonne. However, the results were not significant and severity did not decrease as NaDCC concentration increased. Vase-life was observed separately after X-ray irradiation of 270 cut lilies in 2014 and 108 cut lilies in 2015. Chlorophyll content was not affected by either 200 Gy or 150 Gy of X-rays. The number of days of fully opened flowers at Siberia of 150 Gy and Le Revu of 200 Gy increased by 1–2 days. In addition, the relative fresh weights of the X-rayed flowers were 10% drier than the non-irradiated controls. Overall, leaf blight control by X-ray was inferior to the control by gamma rays, and petal color was bleached in Sorbonne and Le Reve cvs. by 150 Gy of X-rays.

Pulsing Treatments of Abscisic Acid and Sucrose for Improving Postharvest Quality of Cut Lily Flowers

Abscisic acid (ABA), as a senescence phytohormone, has been proved to be related to flower petal senescence in rose (Mayak and Halevy, 1972; Kumar et al., 2008) and carnation (Nowak and Veen, 1982). Higher ABA concentrations were found in short–lived cultivars compared to long–lived rose cultivars (Halevy and Mayak, 1975). Exogenous application of ABA leads to enhancement of aging–related process in daffodil petals (Hunter et al., 2004). ABA, as one of the preservation agents, was also applied in the fresh–keeping of cut roses (Kohl and Rundle, 1972), Baccara roses (Pompodakis and Joyce, 2003; Pompodakis et al., 2004) and Eustoma flowers (Shimizu–Yumoto and Ichimura, 2009). ABA prolongs the vase life of cut roses with leaves, but shortens the vase life of leafless cut roses (Halevy et al., 1974). ABA can regulate water balance of cut flower through controlling stomata opening, increase the postharvest quality, and extend the vase life of cut flowers (Kohl and Rundle, 1972; Pompodakis and Joyce, 2003; Pompodakis et al., 2004). On the other hand it has been reported that ABA regulates water balance through ways other than stomata opening regulation (Borohov et al., 1976), the application of ABA did not affect the transpiration (Ichimura and Shimizu–Yumoto, 2007). ABA treatment can alleviate the sucrose–induced leaf chlorosis and improve the quality of cut flowers (Pompodakis and Joyce, 2003; Shimizu–Yumoto and Ichimura, 2009). Lilies are the world famous cut flowers with high ornamental value. Yang et al. (1996) indicated that ABA probably is the main factor affecting senescence of cut lilies, because morphology of cut flowers showed senescence symptoms following the peak of ABA, while ethylene can accelerate the aging process only to a certain extent. But Li et al. (2012) indicated that the addition of lower concentrations of ABA with sucrose and 8–hydroxyquinoline citrate (8–HQC) induced the increase of fresh weight, and partly alleviate the sucrose–induced leaf yellowing. Based on the above researches, the preservation mechanism of ABA in cut lilies is still not clear. Lilium ‘Sorbonne’ (Oriental hybrid group) was used as an experimental material in this study to observe the preservation effect of ABA, and to confirm further the preservation mechanism of ABA by determining the physiological indices and ethylene release of cut ‘Sorbonnes’ petals during postharvest.

Dynamic changes in α- and β-amylase activities and gene expression in bulbs of the Oriental hybrid lily ‘Siberia’ during dormancy release

SUMMARYThe commercial production of cut lilies depends on a synchronous release of dormancy in bulbs kept under cold storage. We investigated the effects of storage at 4°C, 0°C, or -1.5°C, on dormancy release in bulbs of the Oriental hybrid Lilium ‘Siberia’ used for cut lily production. Cold storage at 4°C for 8 weeks resulted in full elongation of the central bud in bulbs and 100% shoot emergence within 3 weeks of planting, indicating complete release of dormancy. Starch breakdown, increased soluble sugar concentrations, and the induction of α-amylase activity occurred with significant changes in bulbs in week-8 of cold storage. Two cDNAs, one for the a-amylase gene, LiAMY, and the other for the β-amylase gene, LiBAM, were isolated and identified from ‘Siberia’ lily bulbs. Real-time reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis showed that expression of both LiAMY and LiBAM increased significantly in week-8 of cold storage. These changes were correlated with release from dormancy in commercial flowering bulbs of ‘Siberia’ lily.

Effects of Pretreatments and Shipping Temperature on Leaf Chlorosis of Cut Lilium Oriental Hybrid ‘Siberia’ Flowers

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of pretreatment and shipping temperature on leaf chlorosis in cut Lilium Oriental hybrid ‘Siberia’. Cut lilies were shipped under various temperatures (5, 10, 15, 25℃) for 5 days. When cut lilies were shipped at 25℃, leaf chlorosis was accelerated. However, chlorosis was significantly decreased by shipping at 5 to 15℃. In addition, leaf chlorosis was significantly decreased when the cut lilies were pretreated with a solution containing Promalin (BA + GA 4+7 ) as compared to the control. Promalin completely prevented postharvest leaf chlorosis, whereas GA₃3 and Chrysal SVB were ineffective. Leaf chlorosis decreased more with Promalin dip treatment than with spray treatment. This pretreatment solution also extended the vase life of cut lilies. When cut lilies were pretreated with Promalin, yield (Fv/Fm) of chlorophyll fluorescence was highly maintained. Especially chlorophyll content was significant increased by Promalin treatment. Thus, shipping between 5 and 15℃ and Promalin dip pretreatment significantly decreased leaf chlorosis in cut ‘Siberia’ lilies.

Pulsing With Low Concentration Gibberellin Plus Benzyladenine or Commercial Floral Preservatives Affect Postharvest Longevity, Quality, and Leaf Chlorosis of Cut Lilies and Gladioli

Effects of pulsing with different concentrations of gibberellin plus benzyladenine (GA4+7 + BA), a proprietary mixture of GA4+7 plus BA in a commercial floral preservative (GA4+7 + BA + preservative), or a propriety mixture of sugar plus acidifier developed for bulbous flowers (floral bulb preservative) were studied on postharvest performance and quality of cut lily (Lilium hybrids) and gladiolus (Gladiolus hybrids) flowers. Pulsing of cut stems of lily with GA4+7 + BA at 5 or 2 mL·L−1 GA4+7 + BA + preservative for 20 hours at 3 ± 1 °C extended the vase life and controlled leaf chlorosis of ‘Cobra’ oriental lily and ‘Cappuccino’ and ‘Dot Com’ asiatic lily. Cut ‘Orange Art’ asiatic lily performed best when pulsed with GA4+7 + BA at 10 mg·L−1. For cut gladiolus, pulsing with GA4+7 + BA at 10 mg·L−1 extended the vase life of ‘Alice’, ‘Mammoth’, and ‘Passion’, while ‘Scarlet’ had the longest vase life when pulsed with 5 mg·L−1 GA4+7 + BA. GA4+7 + BA + preservative also extended the vase life and controlled leaf chlorosis, but the floral bulb preservative had no effect on vase life extension or preventing leaf chlorosis of lilies. Gladiolus cultivars had no or minor leaf chlorosis during vase period. Overall, overnight pulsing with GA4+7 + BA or GA4+7 + BA + preservative extended the vase life and prevented leaf chlorosis and can be used by growers and wholesalers for maintaining quality of cut stems.

Effect of nano-silver particles on postharvest life of Lilium orientalis cv. 'Shocking'

Prolongation of vase life of cut lilies (Lilium orientalis cv. ‘Shocking’) was studied in vase containing 5, 15, 25, 35 ppm of nano-silver solutions and deionised water as control under controlled conditions. All nano-silver treatments extended the longevity of cut flowers in comparison to control but the concentration of 35 ppm showed the highest vase solution uptake, initial fresh weight and lowest bacteria colony during first two days of vase life. Plant or bacteria extract did not affect nano-particles stability. The use of nano-silver particles at 35 ppm is recommended to improve postharvest life of Lilium orientalis cv. ‘Shocking’.

Improvement of Vase Life and Postharvest Factors of <i>Lilium orientalis</i> ‘Bouquet’ by Silver Nano Particles

Lily is one of the prominent cut flowers on the international markets, so that its longevity is an important post-storage attribute. Blockage of xylem vessels and insufficient water uptake contributes to the short vase life of cut flowers. Bacteria block stem xylem vessels and because of that reduce rates of water supply to flowers. Nano silver has antimicrobial effects at low concentration. Prolongation of vase life cut lilies (L. orientalis ‘Bouquet’) flowers by nano-silver particles was studied. Cut flowers were kept in vase containing 5, 15, 25, 30 ppm of nano-silver solutions and deionized water as control treatment under controlled conditions. During vase period, vase life, vase solution uptake, initial fresh and bacterial numbers were measured. According to the results, all nano-silver treatments extended the longevity of cut flowers compare to control. Among these treatments the concentration of 30 ppm of silver-nano showed the highest vase solution uptake, initial fresh weight and lowest bacteria colony during the first 2 days of vase life. It was concluded that nano silver particles had a high potential for eliminating of bacterial contaminants. These for suggest that application of solutions containing superior advantageous of nano-silver particles is recommended to improve postharvest of L. orientalis ‘Bouquet’.