Effects of growth conditions on postharvest life of pot plants. Nursery comparisons with cyclamen, begonia and poinsettia
A. Bulle
ISHS Acta Horticulturae 669:263-268
2005
บทคัดย่อ
In many experiments differences in postharvest life were seen for several flowering pot plants, depending from which grower the plants originated. This means that growth conditions can influence postharvest life. For cyclamen, begonia and Poinsettia a nursery comparison was carried out to examine which growth conditions and cultivation methods are responsible for the differences in postharvest life. For each nursery comparison plants were grown on at least 30 nurseries. Data were collected about postharvest life and about climate conditions, growth regulation, nutrition, crop protection and cultivation method. Data were analysed with multivariate statistical techniques to find the relations between growth circumstances and postharvest life.Effects of climate conditions and nutrition were found for all three crops. For begonia and Poinsettia also effects were found from the use of chemical growth regulation. Some differences in growth circumstances were seen, which did not, although expected, influence postharvest life. For example, a lower temperature at the end of the growth of Poinsettia had no effect on postharvest life.This investigation indicated the main factors with which growers can improve the postharvest life of their products.