Assessment of concurrent of the sucrose and silver nitrate on cut flower of rose

Introduction

Rose plant, it was called "The Queen of Flowers", has been used as a garden plant since the dawn of civilization(MohyEldeen, 2011). Roses belong to the family of Rosaceae and Genus Rosa. The main purpose of its cultivation is to get the cut flowers, which greatly deals with the floricultural business (Butt, 2003). Reducing cut flower vase-life has been shown to result from increased respirationrate, low carbohydrate level, bacterial or chemical blockage, and increased ethylene in the air (Silvanda et al., 2011).The sugar acts as a factor controlling vase life. Sucrose has been known to extend flower life by supplementing the natural sugar that is rapidly utilized after cutting (Nowak and Rudnicki, 1990). Pulsing with sucrose applied at prestorage stage increased the postharvest longevity of many cut flowers, probably by replacing the carbohydrates during cold storage (Van Doorn et al., 1991), or preventing leaf desiccation (Jones, 1995; Silvanda et al., 2011).Most cut flowers protective include carbohydrates, antimicrobials, anti-ethylene, growth regulators and some nutrients (Asghary, 2012). Carbohydrates reinforce fundamental mechanisms of increasing vase life such as function and structure of mitochondria protecting and water balance by transpiration controlling and increasing water uptake (Asghary, 2012; Butt, 2003). Anti microbes such as silver nitrate, silver thiosulphate, aluminumsulphate prevent microbes' activity due to antibacterial of their properties (Zamani et al., 2011). One of factors that accelerate degradation of cut flowers is bacteria activities and precipitation in vessels which results in closing them and flowers expose to drought (Asghari, 2012). Really, flowers expose either to water or nutrients deficiency spontaneously. Because of removing nutrients such as carbohydrates, as well as closing vessel due to microorganisms activities, Vase life of cut rose flowers is usually short. Cut flowers wilt and floral axis become bent (bent-neck) just below the flower head (Van Doorn et al., 1997). The development of such symptoms is considered to be caused by vascular occlusion, which inhibits water supply to the flowers (Loub and Van Doorn, 2004).

Silver nitrate (AgNO3) is one of the most common forms of silver salts used in commercial flower preservatives solutions and mostly used either as ethylene binding inhibitor or anti-microbial(MohyEldeen, 2011). Increasing AgNO3 strikingly enhanced vase life and solution uptake by removing bacteria and water supply in rose cut flowers (Singh and Tiwari, 2002).

There are some documents demonstrate that treatments with anti-ethylene compounds, such as STS (silver thiosulfate) and silver nitrate, can effectively protect flowers against exogenous ethylene (MohyEldeen, 2011; Hunter et al., 2004; Redman et al., 2002; Serek and Trolle, 2000; Serek et al., 1995).

The aim of this study was investigation on simultaneous effect of sucrose and silver nitrate on vase life extension in rose cut flower.