ศูนย์นวัตกรรมเทคโนโลยีหลังการเก็บเกี่ยว

Study on harvest method and postharvest handling of lotus flowers (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) var. Sattabongkot.

Kanungnit Pichayanon and Cho Nitsiri Suisuwan

Thai Journal of Agricultural Science, Volume 35, Number 3, 2002. Pages 303-308.

2002

บทคัดย่อ

The study on harvesting method and postharvest handling of lotus flowers, (N. nucifera) cv. Sattabongkot, was carried out to optimize handling practices to decrease flower bruising and water loss which stimulate ethylene production during the postharvest period. The following treatments were employed: (1) control (grower's method); (2) same as 1, but the stems were cut with a sharp knife from the mother plant; (3) Same as 2, but the flowers were placed and carried in plastic buckets to minimize bruising due to handling by hand; (4) same as 3, but the bucket contained filtered water to prevent excessive water loss; (5) same as 4, but the flowers were wrapped in foam netting to minimize bruising during transport; and (6) same as 5, but in addition, the cut ends of the flower stalks were wrapped in absorbent cotton wool soaked with filter water to prevent water loss during transport. The results showed that the prevention of bruising and water loss reduced the production of ethylene of the cut flowers. In treatment 6, where the flowers were highly protected against bruising and water loss, ethylene production was the lowest of all the different treatments, (47.7 nl g-1 h-1 compared with 107.9 nl g-1 h-1 in the control). The average postharvest life of flowers in treatment 6 was 5.0 days compared with 3.3 days of the control.