Abstract

CRUZ-CRESPO, Elia; AREVALO-GALARZA, Lourdes; CANO-MEDRANO, Raquel  and  GAYTAN-ACUNA, Elda Araceli. Pulse solutions in the postharvest quality of lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum Raf.) cv. 'echo blue'. Agric. Téc. Méx [online]. 2006, vol.32, n.2, pp.191-200. ISSN 0568-2517.

This research reports the effect of pulse solutions on bud opening and petal pigmentation in floral stems of lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum Raf.) cv. 'Echo Blue' harvested in March of 2002 in the state of Morelos, Mexico. Afterwards the stems were taken to the Laboratory of Postharvest Physiology in the Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, Mexico to be evaluated. The measured characteristics were color and bud opening, anthocyanin concentration, total and reduced sugars content, dry weight and chlorophyll content. In addition, vase life and fresh weight of the floral stems were also evaluated. The applied treatments were distilled water, 8-HQC, 8-HQC + sucrose, 8-HQC + sucrose + GA3. The treatment that included 8-HQC + sucrose improved flower opening in 40%, as well as color intensity in petals, which coincided with an increase in anthocyanin content in the petals. Vase life of floral stems increased in three days with the treatments including sucrose. In the petals there was a positive correlation between total sugars and dry weight (r= 0.7043) and between total sugars and anthocyanin content (r= 0.7966). The GA₃ in the pulse solution increased the chlorophyll content of the leaves in 117.5%. Floral stems of higher quality were those treated with 8-HQC + sucrose + GA₃.

Keywords : Flower opening petal; gibberellic acid; pigmentation; sucrose; 8-hidroxiquinoline.

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