COMPONENTS OF KEEPING QUALITY USED IN VARIETY EVALUATION

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 261: IV International Symposium on Postharvest Physiology of Ornamental Plants

COMPONENTS OF KEEPING QUALITY USED IN VARIETY EVALUATION

Author:

Ir. A. de Gelder

Abstract:
Differences between varieties in keeping quality is one of the most decissive factors in variety evaluation of cutflowers. It is a very important selection criterion. The method to measure vase life depends on the crop. Each crop but also variety reacts different on handling and transport. Also the senescence symptoms between crops varies and even within a crop differences exist.

Factors involved in variety evaluation can be:

tolerance to drought or low temperature during a storage period;
vase life; measured on basis of criteria which must be defined for each crop such as first viseable symptoms of senescense, number of open flowers per stem, ornamental value, bent neck or stem weakening;
reaction on a pretreatment; for exemple with STS;
susceptibility to diseases such as Botrytis cinerea.

In variety evaluation a quick and objective method for every crop is needed to measure the limitative factors for keeping quality of the cutflowers. The factors involved in variety evaluation of some major crops and the methods which can be used for measuring them will be discussed.

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