ISHS Acta Horticulturae 298: Hortifroid, V International Symposium on Postharvest Physiology of Ornamental Plants; Importance of Cold in Ornamental Horticulture
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE USE OF GROWTH REGULATORS FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF POST-HARVEST QUALITY IN CUT FLOWERS AND POTTED PLANTS. |
| Authors: | Wouter G. van Doom, Ernst J. Woltering |
| Abstract:
Growth regulators, and antagonists such as anionic silver thiosulphate complex (STS), have been used in the postharvest handling of cut flowers and potted plants to delay processes involving ethylene, such as petal wilting, drying of buds, flower opening and the abscission of inflorescences, flowers, petals, buds, fruits and leaves. The use of STS, however, has become controversial on environmental and practical grounds. One alternative, amino-oxyactec acid (AOA) has been found to effectively delay petal wilting in carnations, and is already used by the growers supplying the flower auctions in Holland. The posibility of using  -aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) or a not yet patented compound from BASF is also under investigation, both on cut flowers and potted plants.
Other growth regulators used to increase postharvest quality are gibberellins, against leaf yellowing in cut flowering shoots of Alstroemeria and Euphorbia fulgens. The novel methods of genetic tranformation will likely be used to alter plants in order to eleminate their response to ethylene and the symptoms related to other hormones.
This may, at least partly, obviate the need to use chemical growth regulators or their antagonists.
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