POSTHARVEST COLD STORAGE AFFECTS FLOWER LIFE AND PHYSIOLOGY OF POTTED TULIPS

Abstract

Postharvest cold storage is a common practice by potted tulip growers to respond to quality and timing demands. Plants are placed into cold storage at a marketable stage and kept there until it is time for sale. There are still questions about how this storage impacts flower quality. The focus of this research was to determine how temperature and duration of postharvest cold storage affect carbohydrate status and flower life of potted tulips, and how tulips respond once out of storage. Changes associated with senescence such as lipid peroxidation and carbohydrate status were studied in order to characterize tepal senescence. There were changes in plants held at warmer temperatures for longer durations that demonstrate continued development in postharvest storage. It was concluded that best flower quality resulted from storage for < 1 week at all temperatures. For durations > 3 weeks, best flower quality resulted from storage at 1ºC.