Post-harvest physiology of flowers from the family gentianaceae

Abstract

Gentian flowers, with their diversity of color and form, have a long post-harvest life. Eustoma grandiflorum is the most studied species of gentian. There are also a limited number of post-harvest studies on cut flowers of Gentiana triflora and G. scabra, and flowers of potted plants of Exacum affine. The research that has been conducted has focused largely on improving the opening of buds, which is the key to increasing the longevity of inflorescences. Additional carbohydrates provided exogenously, required for bud opening, also prevent premature wilting. Researchers have examined the effects of cultivars, preharvest growing conditions (light, plant nutrition, and age), harvest maturity, post-harvest changes (amino acid contents, growth, geotropism, pollination-induced senescence, and ethylene sensitivity), the effect of growth regulators (ethylene inhibitors, auxins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, and gibberellins), vase solution germicides, and post-harvest storage (transportation). The results of these studies and their contribution to our understanding of the post-harvest physiology of gentian flowers are discussed in this review. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015.