ISHS Acta Horticulturae 261: IV International Symposium on Postharvest Physiology of Ornamental Plants
ETHYLENE CONCENTRATIONS DURING TRANSPORT OF POT PLANTS |
| Author: | L. Høyer |
| Abstract:
In order to gain knowledge of the ethylene exposure of pot plants during transport the ethylene concentration was monitored in two trucks during 70 tours with a typical duration of 2–3 days each. Air samples were collected every 4–6 hours at 3 locations in the box. In one of the trucks ethylene concentrations higher than 0.05 μl/l only occured a few times. In the other truck one third of the tours had an average ethylene concentration exceeding 0.05 μl/l. This was probably due to a rather low air change in combination with ethylene production from the plants, ethylene production from the material of which the walls were made and transfer of ethylene from a preceeding truckload with large ethylene producing products such as apples. There were no complaints of plant damage from the buyers, which should be expected when the measured ethylene concentrations are above 0.05 μl/l. This can be due to the fact that some plants have a delayed response to ethylene and it can be a question of expected quality. Another explanation may be that transport simulation experiments not imitate practice, but it has not been possible to point out a single factor which could be responsible for the lack of plant damage at the high ethylene concentrations. | |
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