Effect of dry and wet storage at cool temperatures on the postharvest performance of Ranunculus asiaticus L. flowers

Abstract

A study was undertaken to assess the effect of different storage temperatures on senescence and postharvest performance of isolated flowers of Ranunculus asiaticus L.. The main aim of the work was to develop a cost-effective storage protocol to reduce the postharvest losses and to bring out the transportation of cut flowers of R. asiaticus. The flowers were subjected to two different storage treatments, dry storage and wet storage, and their postharvest performance was compared under laboratory conditions. For this purpose, the buds were harvested at 8:00 AM at loose bud stage (Stage II of flower development). The harvested buds were cut to a uniform size of 15 cm and processed for dry or wet storage. For dry storage, the buds were packed after wrapping them in moistened filter papers and kept at 5ºC and 10ºC. For wet storage, the buds were held in distilled water in separate glass beakers kept at 5ºC and 10ºC, respectively. A separate set of buds each for dry and wet storage was kept at room temperature (15±2)ºC. After 72 h storage, the buds were kept at room temperature in distilled water. The average life of an individual flower that opened fully was about 4–5 days. The buds kept under wet storage at 5ºC and 10ºC for 72 h maintained their premature status, while the buds held at room temperature for 72 h generally bloomed. All the buds stored dry maintained their premature status irrespective of storage temperature. Storage of buds for 72 h at 5ºC, followed by transferring to distilled water improved the longevity by about 5 to 6 days. Cold storage treatment before transferring to holding solution improved floral diameter, membrane integrity besides maintaining higher fresh and dry mass of flowers, sugar content, soluble proteins, and phenols. Our results suggested that wet and dry storage of premature buds of R. asiaticus for 72 h at 5ºC, followed by placing them in distilled water, improved the cut flower longevity and can be used as effective postharvest storage treatments for this beautiful cut flower.

Keywords

longevity / sugars / phenols / cold storage / membrane permeability

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Prof. G. H. Dar and Prof. Z. A. Reshi for their cordial support. We also acknowledge Dr. A. Q. John, Prof. Emeritus (SKUAST-K) for cultivar identification and valuable suggestions. Waseem Shahri thanks University Grants Commission, India for providing Junior Research Fellowship.

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg