Effects of postharvest dip treatments on leatherleaf fern (Rumohra adiantiformis) frond vase life.
Stamps, R. H.;
Acta Horticulturae Year: 2001 Issue: No. 543 Pages: 299-302 Ref: 8 ref.
2000
บทคัดย่อ
Leatherleaf fern (R. adiantiformis [Arachniodes adiantiformis]) is the dominant cut foliage (florists' green) used in flower arrangements. Harvested fronds are generally durable but, at times, may be prone to rapid desiccation and short vase life. Oil-based products are being marketed that are designed to prolong frond vase life by reducing transpiration. Three such products and a mineral oil + surfactant treatment were evaluated as postharvest/prestorage dips for their effectiveness in prolonging vase life compared to a control treatment (water alone). Fronds were harvested from a commercial fernery, treated and stored for three weeks at 4 deg C prior to being evaluated under simulated home/office conditions. When vase life of fronds was good (>two weeks), none of the dip treatments were beneficial in prolonging vase life. However, some treatments improved the glossiness of the fronds but also caused fronds to look mottled due to oil moving into the leaf. When vase life of control fronds was le
ss than two weeks, all three commercial products (Hydroseal, Pixie Sparkle, Saf-T-Oil) and the mineral oil + surfactant (Triton X-100) treatments increased vase life (up to 177%). Oil treatments, except Saf-T-Oil, increased frond glossiness. Surfactant alone did not affect frond vase life or glossiness. Treating leatherleaf fern fronds with postharvest dips appears to be beneficial, but further research on the relative effectiveness, economics of use, and tendencies to cause oil-soaked mottling need to be conducted.