Impacts of carbohydrate pulses and short-term sub-zero temperatures on vase life and quality of cut Paeonia lactiflora Pall. hybrids
Nathan J. Jahnke, John M. Dole, David P. LivingstonIII and Ben A. Bergmann
Postharvest Biology and Technology, Volume 161, March 2020, 111083
2020
บทคัดย่อ
Flower quality of cut Paeonia lactiflora (peony) Pall. hybrids is best preserved between 0 and 1โ€ฏ°C. However, cut flower traits such as vase life and flower size often decline following 4 or more weeks of storage. While the use of sub-zero temperatures is avoided in the cut flower industry due to fears of freeze injury, sub-zero temperatures may allow extended storage of cut flowers. Peonies are a candidate for sub-zero storage due to their natural cold tolerance, exposure to spring freezes before harvest, and limited seasonal availability. Three cultivars: Karl Rosenfield, Monsieur Jules Elie, and Sarah Bernhardt were used to evaluate freeze tolerance of cut peonies by holding cut stems at three temperatures: 0, −2, −4โ€ฏ°C for 5โ€ฏh. Pre-cold treatment pulses consisting of 24โ€ฏh in either 100โ€ฏg·L−1 sucrose, 100โ€ฏg·L−1 fructose, or tap water did not improve total vase life, summation of the time spent as a bud and time open. Total vase life was 10.5, 7.1, and 9.3 d for ‘Karl Rosenfield’, ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’, and ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, respectively. Sucrose-pulsed stems of ‘Karl Rosenfield’ and ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ had the lowest total vase life. Pulses and cold-treatments decreased bud time for ‘Karl Rosenfield’ and ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ by 2–3 d and 0.5–1 d, respectively. Petals were the only tissue to develop water-soaked spotting (freeze injury) following 5โ€ฏh at -4โ€ฏ°C. Stems kept dry (not pulsed) prior to cold treatment were uninjured. Fructose-pulsed stems of ‘Karl Rosenfield’ and ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ had the highest injury ratings when held at -4โ€ฏ°C. Carbohydrate-pulsing did not influence injury ratings on ‘Sarah Bernhardt’. Supercooling and multiple freeze events were observed with infrared video in all tissues when held at -4โ€ฏ°C. Typically, ice nucleation started at the base of the cut stems and propagated throughout the stem, leaves, and bud within 3–5โ€ฏmin of initiation. Stems that were not pulsed remained in a supercooled state longer than those that were pulsed. These findings indicate that storage temperatures between 0 and -2โ€ฏ°C may be a good option for longer periods of dry storage for peonies and other cold tolerant cut flower species.