Improvement in Vase Life of Cut Rose cv. “Dolce Vita” by Preharvest Foliar Application of Calcium Chloride and Salicylic Acid

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, I. R. Iran

Abstract

Rosa hybrida L. is an important commercial cut flower. Salicylic acid (SA) and calcium chloride (CaCl2) act as endogenous signal molecules responsible for growth parameters in plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of preharvest SA and CaCl2 treatments in extending the vase life of cut rose flowers. Therefore, a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with SA (0, 150, 300, and 450 mg L-1) and CaCl2 (0, 0.75, 1.5, and 2.25%) with 4 replicates and 2 samples (individual flowers) in each replicate, was conducted. Changes in growth, macronutrient concentration, chlorophyll content, leaf relative water content (LRWC), flower quality, vase life, and membrane stability index were investigated in R. hybrida cv. “Dolce Vita.” Exogenously applied SA and CaCl2 increased plant growth (such as shoots and flower buds). Foliar application of SA and CaCl2 also increased macronutrient concentration (N, K, Ca, and Mg), chlorophyll content, LRWC, flower quality, and vase life; however membrane stability index was decreased with increasing levels of SA and CaCl2. These results suggest that SA and CaCl2 could be used as potential growth promoters to improve postharvest life of roses. According to the results of this experiment, SA and CaCl2 as natural, cheap, safe, and biodegradable compounds are suitable alternatives for conventional chemical treatments in order to prolong vase life of cut rose flowers. Commercialization of these compounds for optimum formulations needs further experiments.

Keywords


  1. Abadi, D.H. 2010. Yield and Quality Management of Rosa hybrida ‘Poison’ with Plant Growth Regulators. Amer. J. Agr. Environ. Sci. 8:736–740.
  2. Agami, R.A. and G.F. Mohamed. 2013. Exogenous Treatment with Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Salicylic Acid Alleviates Cadmium Toxicity in Wheat Seedlings. Ecotoxicol. environ. Saf. 94:164–171.
  3. Alaey, M., M. Babalar, R. Naderi and M. Kafi. 2011. Effect of Pre- and Postharvest Salicylic Acid Treatment on Physio-chemical Attributes in Relation to Vase-life of Rose Cut Flowers. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 61:91–94.
  4. Arnon, D.I. 1949. Copper Enzymes in Isolated Chloroplasts: Polyphenoloxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiol. 24:1–15.
  5. Baas, R., N. Marissen and A. Dik. 2000. Cut Roses Quality as Affected by Calcium Supply and Translocation. In XXV International Horticultural Congress, Part 8: Quality of Horticultural Products 518, pp. 45–54.
  6. Capdeville, G.D., L.A. Maffia, F. Finger and U.G. Batista. 2005. Preharvest Calcium Sulfate Applications Affect Vase Life and Severity of Gray Mold in Cut Roses. Sci. Hort. 103:329–338.
  7. Cramer, G.R., A. Läuchli and E. Epstein. 1986. Effect of NaCl and CaCl2 on Ion Activities in Complex Nutrient Solutions and Root Growth of Cotton. Plant Physiol. 81:792–797.
  8. El-Tayeb, M.A. 2005. Response of Barley Gains to the Interactive Effect of Salinity and Salicylic Acid. Plant Growth Regul. 45:215–225.
  9. Ezhilmathi, K., V.P. Singh, A. Arora and R.K. Sairam. 2007. Effect of 5-Sulfosalicylic Acid on Antioxidant Activity in Relation to Vase Life of Gladiolus Cut Flowers. Plant Growth Regul. 51:99–108.

10. Fariduddin, Q., S. Hayat and A. Ahmad. 2003. Salicylic Acid Influence Net Photosynthetic Rate, Carbohydrate Efficiency, Nitrate Reductase Activity and Seed Yield in Brassica juncea. Photosynthetica 41:787–792.

11. Feng, Z., F. Liang, C.S. Zheng, H.R. Shu, X.Z. Sun and Y.K. Yoo. 2010. Effects of Acetylsalicylic Acid and Calcium Chloride on Photosynthetic Apparatus and Reactive Oxygen-Scavenging Enzymes in Chrysanthemum under Low Temperature Stress with Low Light. Agr. Sci. China 9:1777–1786.

12. Fry, S.C. 2004. Primary Cell Wall Metabolism: Tracking the Careers of Wall Polymers in Living Plant Cells. New Phytologist 161:641–675.

13. Ganesan, V. and G. Thomas. 2001. Salicylic Acid Response in Rice: Influence of Salicylic Acid on H2O2 Accumulation and Oxidative Stress. Plant Sci. 160:1095–106.

14. Ghai, N., R.C. Setia and N. Setia. 2002. Effects of Paclobutrazol and Salicylic Acid on Chlorophyll Content, Hill Activity and Yield Components in Brassica napus L. Phytomorphology 52:83–87.

15. Glass, A.D. 1974. Influence of Phenolic Acids upon Ion Uptake. III. Inhibition of Potassium Absorption. J. Exp. Bot. 25:1104–1113.

16. Gonzalez, L. and M. Gonzalez-Vilar. 2003. Determination of Relative Water Content. In: Handbook of Plant Ecophysiology Techniques. Springer, The Netherlands 207–212.

17. Gunes, A., A. Inal, M. Alpaslan, F. Eraslan, E.G. Bagci and N. Cicek. 2007. Salicylic Acid Induced Changes on Some Physiological Parameters Symptomatic for Oxidative Stress and Mineral Nutrition in Maize (Zea mays L.) Grown under Salinity. J. Plant Physiol. 164:728–736.

18. Harper, J.P. and N.E. Balke. 1981.Characterization of the Inhibition of K+ Absorption in Oat Roots by Salicylic Acid. J. Plant Physiol. 68:1349–1353.

19. Hassan, F.A.S., 2005. Postharvest on Some Important Flower Crops. Ph.D. Thesis. Horticultural Sciences, Corvinus. Budapest.

20. Hayat, S., P. Maheshwari, A.S. Wani, M. Irfan, M.N. Alyemeni and A. Ahmad. 2012. Comparative Effect of 28 Homobrassinolide and Salicylic Acid in the Amelioration of NaCl Stress in Brassica juncea L. Plant Physiol. Biochem. 53:61–68.

21. Hepler, P.K. 2005. Calcium: A Central Regulator of Plant Growth and Development. Plant Cell 17:2142–2155.

22. Hepler, P.K. and L.J. Winship. 2010. Calcium at the Cell Wall-Cytoplast Interface. J. In. Plant Biol. 52:147–160.

23. Hirschi, K.D. 2004.The Calcium Conundrum: Both Versatile Nutrient and Specific Signal. Plant Physiol. 136:2438–2442.

24. Jalili Marandi, R., A. Hassani, A. Abdollahi, and S. Hanafi, 2011. Improvement of the Vase Life of Cut Gladiolus Flowers by Essential Oils, Salicylic Acid and Silver Thiosulfate. J. Medicinal Plants Res. 5:5039–5043.

25. Karlidag, H., E. Yildirim and M. Turan. 2009. Salicylic Acid Ameliorates the Adverse Effect of Salt Stress on Strawberry. Sci. Agr. 66:180–187.

26. Kazemi, M., E. Hadavi and J. Hekmati. 2011. Role of Salicylic Acid in Decreases of Membrane Senescence in Cut Carnation Flowers. Amer. J. Plant Physiol. 6:106–112.

27. Khan, W., B. Prithviraj, and D.L. Smith. 2003. Photosynthetic Responses of Corn and Soybean to Foliar Application of Salicylates. J. Plant Physiol. 160:485–492.

28. Khodary, S.F.A. 2004. Effect of Salicylic Acid on the Growth, Photosynthesis and Carbohydrate Metabolism in Salt Stressed Maize Plants. In. J. Agr. Biol. 6:5–8.

29. Klessig, D.F. and J. Malamy. 1994. The Salicylic Acid Signal in Plants. Plant Mol. Biol. 26:1439–58.

30. Kovacik, J., J. Gruz, M. Backor, M. Strnad and M. Repcak. 2009. Salicylic Acid Induced Changes to Growth and Phenolic Metabolism in Matricaria chamomilla Plants. Plant Cell Rep. 28:135–143.

31. Lara, I., P. Garcia and M. Vendrell. 2004. Modifications in Cell Wall Composition after Cold Storage of Calcium-Treated Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) Fruit. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 34:331–339.

32. Macnish, A.J., R.T. Leonard  and T.A. Nell. 2008. Treatment with Chlorine Dioxide Extends the Vase Life of Selected Cut Flowers. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 50:197–207.

33. Mansouri, H. 2012. Salicylic Acid and Sodium Nitroprusside Improve Postharvest Life of Chrysanthemums. Sci. Hort. 145:29–33.

34. Moharekar, S.T., S.D. Lokhande, T. Hara, R. Tanaka, A. Tanaka and P.D. Chavan. 2003. Effect of Salicylic Acid on Chlorophyll and Carotenoid Contents of Wheat and Moong Seedlings. Photosynthetica 41:315–317.

35. Mortazavi, N., R. Naderi, A. Khalighi, M. Babalar and H. Allizadeh. 2007. The Effect of Cytokinin and Calcium on Cut Flower Quality in Rose (Rosa hybrida L.) cv. Illona. J. Food Agr. Environ. 5:311–313.

36. Nasir Khan, M., M.H. Siddiqui, F. Mohammad and M. Naeem. 2012. Interactive Role of Nitric Oxide and Calcium Chloride in Enhancing Tolerance to Salt Stress. Nitric Oxide 27:210–218.

37. Nedjimi, B. and Y. Daoud. 2009. Ameliorative Effect of CaCl2 on Growth, Membrane Permeability and Nutrient Uptake in Atriplex halimus subsp. Schweinfurthii Grown at High (NaCl) Salinity. Desalination 249:163–166.

38. Pirasteh-Anosheh, H., Y. Emam, M. Ashraf and M.R. Foolad. 2012. Exogenous Application of Salicylic Acid and Chlormequat Chloride Alleviates Negative Effects of Drought Stress in Wheat. Adv. Studies  Biol. 11:501–520.

39. Poovaiah, B.W. and A.C. Leopold. 1973. Deferral Senescence with Ca. Plant Physiol. 52: 236–239.

40. Raskin, I. 1992. Salicylate, a New Plant Hormone. Plant Physiol. 99: 799–803.

41. Redman, P.B., J.M. Dole, N.O. Maness and J.A. Anderson. 2002. Postharvest Handling of Nine Specialty Cut Flower Species. Sci. Hort. 92:293–303.

42. Shi, Q., Z. Bao, Z. Zhu, Q. Ying and Q. Qian. 2006. Effects of Different Treatments of Salicylic acid on heat tolerance, chlorophyll fluorescence, and antioxidant enzyme activity in Seedlings of Cucumis sativa L. Plant Growth Regul. 48:127–135.

43. Singh, B. and K. Usha. 2003. Salicylic Acid Induced Physiological and Biochemical Changes in Wheat Seedlings Under Water Stress. Plant Growth Regul. 39:137–41.

44. Solgi, M., M. Kafi, T.S. Taghavi and R. Naderi. 2009. Essential Oils and silver Nano Particles (SNP) as Novel Agents to Extend Vase-Life of Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii cv. ‘Dune’) Flowers. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 53:155–158.

45. Szepesi, A., J. Csiszar, S. Bajkan, K. Gemes, F. Horvath, L. Erdei, A.K. Deer, M.L. Simon and I. Tari. 2005. Role of Salicylic Acid Pre-Treatment on the Acclimation of Tomato Plants to Salt- and Osmotic Stress. Acta Biol. Szegediensis 49:123–125.

46. Tan, W., M. Brestic, K. Olsovska and X. Yang. 2011. Photosynthesis is Improved by Exogenous Calcium in Heat-Stressed Tobacco Plants. J. Plant Physiol. 168:2063–2071.

47. Tari, I., J. Csiszar, S. Gabriella, F. Horvath, A. Pecsvaradi, G. Kiss, A. Szepsi, M. Szabo and L. Erdei. 2002. Acclimation of Tomato Plants to Salinity Stress after a Salicylic Acid Pre-Treatment. Acta. Biol. Szegediensis 46:55–56.

48. Van Doorn, W.G., D. Zagory, Y.D. Witte and H. Harkema. 1994. Effect of Vase-Water Bacteria on the Senescence of Cut Carnation Flowers .Postharvest Biol. Technol. 1:161–168.

49. Van Doorn, W.G. 1997. Water Relations of Cut Flowers. Hort. Rev.18:1–85.

50. War, A.R., M.G. Paulraj, M.Y. War and S. Ignacimuthu. 2011.Role of Salicylic Acid in Induction of Plant Defense System in Chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.). Plant Signaling & Behavior 6:1787–1792.

51. White, P.J., M.R. Broadley. 2003. Calcium in Plants. Ann. Bot. 92: 487– 511.

52. Yildirim, E., H. Karlidag and M. Turan. 2009. Mitigation of Salt Stress in Strawberry by Foliar K, Ca and Mg Nutrient Supply. Plant Soil and Environ. 55:213–221.

53. Yildirim, E., M. Turan and I. Guvenc, 2008. Effect of Foliar Salicylic Acid Applications on Growth, Chlorophyll, and Mineral Content of Cucumber Grown under Salt Stress. J. Plant Nutri. 31:593–612.

54. Zencirkiran, M. 2005. Effect of Sucrose and silver Thiosulphate Pulsing on Stem-Base Cracking and Vase Life in Leucojum aestivum L. Flowers. J. Hort. Sci. Biotechnol. 80:332–334.

55. Zencirkiran, M. 2010. Effect of 1-MCP (1- Methyl Cyclopropene) and STS (Silver Thiosulphate) on the Vase Life of Cut Freesia Flowers. Scientific Res. and Essays 5:2409–2412.