Vegetative annuals are currently popular in the ornamental horticulture industry.
Many crops are newly domesticated species and little is known about how they perform
during shipping or in the retail environment. Nine species and 21 cultivars were grown
and underwent simulated shipping after harvest or nitrogen toning two weeks before
harvest. Shipping was not found to affect the number of flowers on all but two cultivars
post ship. Nitrogen toning affected vegetative growth of most Bracteantha bracteata
(bracteantha) cultivars at harvest. All species had an effect due to toning postharvest.
Bractenatha and Diascia ÃÂhybrida (diascia) were chosen for further study due to their
performance during these experiments. The effect of thidiazuron (TDZ) as a foliar spray
and nitrogen toning on leaf yellowing and plant growth of bracteantha were evaluated.
The two treatments were then combined to see how the two treatments worked together.
It was found TDZ decreased leaf yellowing but its effects can be negated if the plants
were not toned. Nitrogen toning reduced vegetative growth of the bracteantha without
affecting the number of flowers on the plants. Diascia was found to have flower
abscission in response to shipping. Further trials were conducted using 1-
methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) an ethylene inhibitor. The effects of shipping duration and temperature were investigated. 1-MCP was found to hold flowers on treated plants
longer postharvest than those not treated. Plants shipped for one day had no differences
from the control but shipping for two days had a negative effect on plant quality.
Postharvest shelf life was decreased when diascia was shipped at 24 ðC when compared
to cooler shipping temperatures. These results indicate shipping for no longer than one
day and at less than 24 ðC is recommended for diascia.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/4340 |
| Date | 30 October 2006 |
| Creators | Beach, Shannon Elizabeth |
| Contributors | Starman, Terri W |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 12934201 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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