Effects of Floralife® PRG Pretreatment Solution on Cut Gerbera

Background Research Gerberas are very popular due to a wide availability of varieties with vibrant colors and forms. The vase life of gerberas can vary significantly depending upon the postharvest Update care and degree of sanitation provided. Petal wilt, flower stem bending (commonly called “bent neck”) and disease, such as Botrytis, are commonly the basis of reduced vase life with the Gerbera flower. They are very susceptible to debris and bacterial contamination in water during hydration and Ap r i l 2010 vase flower treatments. The clogging of vessels inside the flower stem impedes water uptake, thus Vo l . 12 Is s u e 4 reducing hydration effectiveness and resulting in a shortened vase life.

Floralife® PRG Pretreament product has been specially formulated for use immediately after harvest, as well as after a prolonged dry transport, to aid in vase life for and Gerbera . The product is a tablet form and needs to be mixed with water to make the final use solution. The treatment helps to condition the water and keep it clean, while facilitating good hydration and sanitation through the flower stems.

Research An experiment was conducted at the Floralife, Inc. Postharvest Laboratory to evaluate the effects of Floralife® PRG Pretreatment on several varieties of cut flower Gerberas. Untreated flowers were obtained from a farm and shipped dry to the lab. Upon arrival at the lab, approximately 1 inch of the end of the stems was recut with a clean, sharp knife in order to remove debris and contamination. The flower stems were then placed into buckets containing either untreated plain water, “Control,” or Anil Ranwala, PhD. Floralife® PRG Pretreament. One tablet of Floralife® PRG Pretreatment was mixed with one gallon Chief Scientist HA (3.8 L) of water as the treatment solution. The Gerbera flower stems were held in these two different D solutions for 48 hours inside a cooler at a temperature around 36° F (2° C). At the end of the treatment, the flowers were then transferred into clean glass vases containing Floralife Crystal Clear® Flower ARE AN Food. The flowers were held in an interior evaluation room at 68° F (20° C) with 12 hours of light in C order to monitor the vase life performance. pH LO ER CO Results LOW ITY T F ER CLAR AT UA W E Q OV IMPR FE SE LI VA E HA S D

Control - Untreated Treated - Floralife® PRG Pretreatment Solution CARE AN TF Vase Life - 7 Days LLIAN

BRI continued ALITY E QU FE

SE LI 14 VA 12 E HA 12 AS D 11 10 10 9 8 ARE AN 7 C pH 6.5 6 5.5 Control LO 5 4 Floralife® PRG ER CO Pretreatment 2 LOW ITY life # Days of Vase T F 0 Red White Pink Yellow ER CLAR Gerbera Gerbera Gerbera Gerbera AT W UA E Q Conclusions OV Floralife® PRG Pretreatment product improved the quality and vase life of cut gerbera varieties tested IMPR FE in this experiment. Flower stems treated with Floralife® PRG Pretreatment solution maintained stem SE LI turgidity and reduced the “bent-neck” flowers which decrease flower vase life. E VA HA S D

CARE AN pH LO ER CO LOW ITY T F ER CLAR AT UA W E Q OV IMPR FE SE LI VA EFLORALIFE , INC. S 751 THUNDERBOLT DRIVE WALTERBORO, SC 29488 PH 800.323.3689 843.538.3839 FAX 800.471.4248 E-MAIL: [email protected] WWW.FLORALIFE.COM

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