Effect of sodium hypochlorite, ephedra plant extract and Southern wood plant essential oil on vase life and some physiologic characters of cut carnation flower

Carnation is one of the most important cut flowers in Iran and the world, and it has high economic importance. One of the important problems of cut carnation flowers is their sensitivity to bacteria at the end of the stem, which diminishes their vase life through the production of toxic substances and vascular blockage. In the present study, sodium hypochlorite (۱۰۰, ۲۰۰ and ۴۰۰ mg/l), ephedra plant extract (۱۰, ۲۰ and ۴۰%) and sagebrush essential oil (۱, ۲ and ۴%) were used in order to remove vascular obstruction and increase the vase life of cut carnation flowers. Distilled water was considered a control. The results showed that the treatment of ۱۰۰ mg/l of sodium hypochlorite increased the vase life to ۱۳.۸۳ days, which was about ۴ days more than the control. This treatment also caused the highest amount of water absorption and percentage of dry matter, the least bacterium number in vase solution and stem end, and the highest rate of superoxide dismutase enzyme activity. The cut flowers of the control had the highest number of bacterium in the vase solution and stem end, the most fresh weight loss, and the highest rate of peroxidation of membrane lipids. The highest level of peroxidase enzyme activity was observed in cut flowers treated with ۱۰% sagebrush plant essential oil. In most of the traits, the extract of ephedra and the essential oil of the sagebrush plant had less effect on the improvement of the measured traits than sodium hypochlorite. In total, in the present study, the treatment of ۱۰۰ mg/l of sodium hypochlorite is introduced for the induction of the highest post-harvest longevity of cut carnation flowers.

Keywords:

Vessel blockage , Essential oils , Secondary metabolites , Postharvest life , انسداد آوندی , روغن های ضروری , متابولیت های ثانویه , عمر پس از برداشت