Effects of TDZ and dark storage on postharvest quality of Pelargonium pot plants
Mehrnaz Hatami, Abdoalla Hatarnzadeh, Mahmood Ghasemnezhad, Reza Hassan Sajedi
Abstracts of 7th International Postharvest Symposium 2012 (IPS2012). 25-29 June, 2012. Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 238 pages.
2012
บทคัดย่อ
Pelargonium (Pelargonium x hortorum)is grown as potted plants for their colourful, showy flowers and scented foliage. Leaf senescence is a common problem in Pelargonium and leads to high postharvest losses during transport and storage. Darkness has been implicated in promoting senescence, while cytokinins retard it. The effects of postharvest treatments with Thidiazuron (TDZ) in four levels (0, 10,50,100 mml-1) and dark storage for 5 days in 20±2 °C Were investigated in four cultivars 'Blue wonder', 'Foxy', 'Flower Fairy' and 'Anthuny'. Morphological observations include petal abscission, leaf drop and leaf senescence recorded before and after dark storage. Petal abscission increased after dark stress in all cultivars except 'Anthuny'. Furthermore, leaf yellowing extended without any treatments. Plants treated with TDZ for 5 days had higher leaf chlorophyll contents than untreated controls especially in 100 mml-1 treatment. In addition, TDZ kept their quality better than other concentrations and the individual florets on TDZ treated plants had a significantly longer life than those on control plants. Leaf senescence induced by dark storage was closely associated with lipid peroxidation. 'Blue wonder', 'Foxy', 'Flower Fairy' indicated lower lipid peroxidation with TDZ treatments than control plants. So, thidiazuron counteracted the deleterious effects of dark storage by delaying the onset of leaf yellowing in Pelargonium pot plants during storage.