Effects of per-harvest applications of different source of calcium on the quality of ‎gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) flower in two cultivars of intense and rosaline‎

Document Type : Full Paper

Authors

1 Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Horticulture, University Campus, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

2 Professor, Faculty of Agricultural Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Faculty of Agricultural Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Chalous Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran

Abstract

Gerbera flower belongs to the Composite family and is one of the five top cut flowers in the world in terms of production and consumption, which has a great economic value in the international flowering industry. This study was designed to evaluate whether calcium pre-harvest foliar application in hydroponic culture, provided through 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% of CaCl2 and CaNO3, could extend quality of gerbera cut flower. The layout was factorial experiment in completely randomized design (CRD) with four replication.  Afterwards, for evaluation of associated traits with vase life, the produced flowers were kept in a vase solution containing 200 mg/L hydroxyquinoline sulfate with temperature conditions of 20 °C. The results showed that vase life of flowers extended 6.1 and 5 days by application 1% CaCl2 for Intens and Rosalin respectively. All treatments were effective in the increasing relative fresh weight of flower due to increase water uptake. The results also revealed that the calcium pretreatment delayed flowers senescence and maintained leaf protein and petal anthocyanin content. Application of calcium resulted in a decrease in electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content in the cut flowers of both cultivars, providing evidence for delay of senescence in calcium-treated cut flowers. Also, results showed that calcium application significantly increased Peroxidase (POD) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) of both cultivars.  The maximum and the minimum PAL and POD activities were observed in resistant and sensitive cultivars, respectively. Taken together, pre-harvest application of calcium (especially 1% CaCl2) might be promising approaches to improve postharvest performance of gerbera cut flowers.

Keywords


  1. Abdolmaleki, M., Khosh-Khui, M., Eshghi, S. & Ramezanian, A. (2015). Improvement in vase life of cut rose cv. “Dolce Vita” by preharvest foliar application of calcium chloride and salicylic acid. International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 2(1), 55-66.
  2. Borochov, A. & Woodson, W. R. (1989). Physiology and biochemistry of flower petal senescence. Horticultural Reviews, 11, 15-43.
  3. Bradford, M. M. (1976). A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Analytical biochemistry72(1-2), 248-254.
  4. Çelikel, F. G. & Reid, M. S. (2002). Storage temperature affects the quality of cut flowers from the Asteraceae. Horticultuural Science, 37(1), 148-150.
  5. Cortes, H., Arriaga, F., González, M., Mandujano, P., Cruz, G. & Gracian, S. (2011). The effects of calcium on postharvest water status and vase life of Rosa hybrida cv. Grand Gala. International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, 13(2), 233-238.
  6. De Capdeville, G., Maffia, L. A., Finger, F. L. & Batista, U. G. (2005). Pre-harvest calcium sulfate applications affect vase life and severity of gray mold in cut roses. Scientia Horticulturae, 103(3), 329-338.
  7. Ferguson, I. B. & Drobak, B. K. (1988). Calcium and the regulation of plant growth and senescence. Horticultural Science, 23, 262-266.
  8. Ferrante, A., Alberici, A., Antonacci, S. & Serra, G. (2007). Effect of promoter and inhibitors of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzyme on stem bending of cut gerbera flowers. International Conference on Quality Management in Supply Chains of Ornamentals. Bangkok, Thailand. pp. 471-476.
  9. Gerasopoulos, D. & Chebli, B. (1999). Effects of pre-and postharvest calcium applications on the vase life of cut gerberas. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 74(1), 78-81.
  10. Geshnizjany, N., Ramezanian, A. & Khosh-Khui, M. (2014). Postharvest life of cut gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) as affected by nano-silver particles and calcium chloride. International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 1(2), 171-180.
  11. Giusti, M. M. & Wrolstad, R. E. (2001). Characterization and measurement of anthocyanins by UV‐visible spectroscopy. Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry, 1, 1-2.
  12. Guosheng, L., Dejuan, T., Fadi, C., Ya, S., Weimin F., Zhiyong, G., Zhaolei, L. & Sumei, C. (2011). The anatomy and physiology of spray cut chrysanthemum pedicels, and expression of a caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase homologue. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 60, 244-250.
  13. Hassanpour Asil. M., Mortazavi, S., Hatam Zadeh, A. & Ghasem Nezhad, M. (2012). Effects of gibberellic acid and calcium on reducing growth period of iris (Iris holandica var. Blue Magic) in greenhouse and extension of its cut flower life. Journal of Science and Technology of Greenhouse Culture, 3 (1), 63-72. (in Farsi)
  14. Heath, R.L. & Packer, L. (1978). Photo peroxidation in isolated chloroplast. Kinetics and stoichiometry of fatty acid peroxidation. Archive of Biochemistry Biophysics, 125, 189-198.
  15. Hegazi, M. A. (2016). Evaluation of pre-or postharvest application of some minerals and organic agents on the growth, flowering and vase life of Rudbeckia hirta L. Journal of Agricultural Science, 8(9), 226.
  16. Hepler, P. K. (2005). Calcium: a central regulator of plant growth and development. The Plant Cell, 17(8), 2142-2155.
  17. Iqbal, N., Khan, N. A., Ferrante, A., Trivellini, A., Francini, A. & Khan, M. I. R. (2017). Ethylene role in plant growth, development and senescence: Interaction with other phytohormones. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 475-483.
  18. Kalateh Jari, S., Khalighi, A., Moradi, F. & Fatahi Moghadam, M. J. (2007). The effects of calcium chloride and calcium nitrate on quality and vase life of rose flowers cv. Red gant. Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 9(3), 163-176. (In Farsi)
  19. Khangoli, S. (2001). Potential of growth regulators on control of size and flowering of ornamental plants. First Applied Science Seminar on Flowering and Ornamental Plants. Mahallat, Iran. pp. 75-76. (In Farsi)
  20. Li, C., Tao, J., Zhao, D., You, C. & Ge, J. (2012). Effect of calcium sprays on mechanical strength and cell wall fractions of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) inflorescence stems. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 13(4), 4704-4713.
  21. Li, Z., Gemma, H. & Iwahori, S. (2002). Stimulation of ‘Fuji’apple skin color by ethephon and phosphorus–calcium mixed compounds in relation to flavonoid synthesis. Scientia Horticulturae, 94(1-2), 193-199.
  22. Malakooti, M. J. (2001). Why calcium spray in fruit trees should be common. Jahad Keshavarsy Embassy, Horticulture Section, 273-283.
  23. Mehran, A., Hossein, D. G. & Tehranifar, A. (2007). Effects of pre-harvest calcium fertilization on vase life of rose cut flowers cv. Alexander. Europe-Asia Symposium on Quality Management in Postharvest Systems-Eurasia, 804, 215-218.
  24. Naing, A. H., Lee, K. & Kim, C. K. (2017). Involvement of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in the mechanism that delays stem bending of different gerbera cultivars. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 2045-2057.
  25. Nair, S.A., Singh, V. & Sharma, T.V. (2003). Effect of chemical preservatives on enhancing vase-life of gerbera flowers. Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 41, 56-58.
  26. Nazarideljou, M. J. & Azizi, M. (2015). Postharvest assessment of lignifying enzymes activity, flower stem lignification and bending disorder of gerbera cut flower. International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 2(1), 87-95.
  27. Perik, R. R., Razé, D., Ferrante, A. & van Doorn, W. G. (2014). Stem bending in cut Gerbera jamesonii flowers: Effects of a pulse treatment with sucrose and calcium ions. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 98, 7-13.
  28. Perik, R. R., Razé, D., Harkema, H., Zhong, Y. & van Doorn, W. G. (2012). Bending in cut Gerbera jamesonii flowers relates to adverse water relations and lack of stem sclerenchyma development, not to expansion of the stem central cavity or stem elongation. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 74, 11-18.
  29. Poovaiah, B. W. & Leopold, A. C. (1973). Deferred of leaf senescence with calcium. Plant Physiology, 52(3), 236-239.
  30. Plewa, M. J., Smith, S. R., & Wagner, E. D. (1991). Diethyldithiocarbamate suppresses the plant activation of aromatic amines into mutagens by inhibiting tobacco cell peroxidase. Mutation research/fundamental and molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis, 247(1), 57-64.
  31. Radmehr, A. (2010). Flowers and ornamental plants. Annual report of Gerbera branch statistics. Department of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture, Iran, pp 347.
  32. Sairam, R. K., Vasanthan, B. & Arora, A. (2011). Calcium regulates gladiolus flower senescence by influencing antioxidative enzymes activity. Acta physiologiae plantarum, 33(5), 1897-1904.
  33. Torre, S., Borochov, A. & Halevy, A. H. (1999). Calcium regulation of senescence in rose petals. Physiologia Plantarum, 107(2), 214-219.
  34. Urban, L., Six, S., Barthélémy, L. & Bearez, P. (2002). Effect of elevated CO2 on leaf water relations, water balance and senescence of cut roses. Journal of Plant Physiology, 159(7), 717-723.
  35. Van Ieperen, W. & van Gelder, A. (2006). Ion-mediated flow changes suppressed by minimal calcium presence in xylem sap in Chrysanthemum and Prunus laurocerasusJournal of Experimental Botany, 57(11), 2743-2750.
  36. Van Meeteren, U. (1978). Water relations and keeping-quality of cut gerbera flowers. The cause of stem break. Scientia Horticulturae, 8(1), 65-74.
  37. Vanholme, R., Demedts, B., Morreel, K., Ralph, J. & Boerjan, W. (2010). Lignin biosynthesis and structure. Plant Physiology, 153(3), 895-905.