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Journal of Sci. Res. Dev. 2010, vol.

12, 1 - 9

Phenological and physiological changes induced by extending vase life of cut flowers of Allamanda cathartica L. var. grandiflora.
Umebese C.E*., Oji C.K. and Osinaike T.S. *Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Lagos, P.M.B. 1029 Unilag Post Office, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT The vase life of Allamanda cathartica is 4 days. Cut flowers were treated with acetaldehyde (2% and 5%), ethanol (2%, 10% and 20%), sodium thiosulphate (2% and 5%) and sucrose (1%, 2%, 3% and 5%), to extend the vase life of cut flowers. 2% and 5% sodium thiosulphate extended the vase life of cut flowers by 3 days. The ovaries of these flowers had significantly higher sugar and starch contents (P < 0.05) than the control. Furthermore the cut flowers had increased production of new buds and new leaves and delayed root formation. The increased production of new buds, new leaves resulting in the increase in sugar and starch contents of the ovaries may have caused the extension of the vase life of cut Allamanda flowers. Keywords: Allamanda flowers, vase life, new buds, leaves, roots, ovary, sugar and starch. INTRODUCTION The greatest desire of a florist is to prolong the vase life of flowers. The appearance of bent neck (slight bending of the floral axis), wilting of outer petals and yellowing leaves indicate the end of useful vase life of cut flowers (Ketsa and Narkbua, 2001; Reid, 2002). Water and food supplies are major factors that contribute to the performance of cut flowers such as roses (Ketsa et al., 1993). A high concentration of carbohydrates in the leaves of harvested cut flowers is a prerequisite for long vase life (Marissen, 1995). The vase life of many flowers can be extended by the application of different chemicals. Ketsa and Narkbua (2001) reported that cut roses held in solutions containing 5% mM aminooxyacetic acid (AOA) prolonged the vase life of cut roses by increasing water uptake, weight changes and causing less bent neck. Treatment of carnation flowers with sucrose in combination with 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate (HQS) or HQS alone extends the vase life of cut flowers (Ichimura et al., 1999). Podd and Van Staden (2002) reported that low concentrations of ethanol and acetaldehyde extend the vase life of cut carnation flowers while Harda and Yasuki (2003) achieved similar results using electrolyzed anode water (EAW).
Correspondence to C.E. Umebeze (cumebese@yahoo.com)

Umebese C.E., Oji C.K. and Osinaike T.S.

Hormones such as cytokinins have been shown to prolong the vase life of cut flowers (Mor et al., 1985). Coconut milk as a source of cytokinins has been shown to delay the senescence of cut Allamanda flowers (Fredrick, 1995). Gibberellic acid has also been shown to increase the vase life of cut flowers by preventing leaves from yellowing early (Funnel and Heins, 1998). Allamanda cathartica L. var. grandiflora (Golden trumpet) is a tropical plant of the family Apocyanaceae. This study determines the effect of different concentrations of acetaldehyde, ethanol, sucrose and sodium thiosulphate on the vase life of cut Allamanda flowers and investigates factors that could be responsible for the extension of the vase life of cut flowers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant Material Cut flowers of Allamanda cathartica L. var. Grandiflora (Golden trumpet) were obtained from a commercial grower in Lagos. Flower stems were trimmed to 30 cm and all but the three uppermost leaves were removed. Chemical Treatment Three cut flowers with 30 cm stem each, were placed in beakers containing 500 ml solutions of 1%, 2%, 3% and 5% sucrose, 2%, 10% and 20% ethanol, 2% and 5% acetaldehyde, 2% and 5% sodium thiosulphate and a control with distilled water. The beakers were covered with aluminium foil to prevent the solutions from evaporation. Flowers were exposed to a room temperature of 28 320 C. Phenological Studies The vase life of cut flowers in various treatments was recorded. The time of appearance of leaf chlorosis, time of new bud formation, root formation and the number of new buds and new leaves formed were also recorded. Determination of Sugar Content The sugar and starch contents of ovaries of untreated cut flowers were compared with those of the treatment that stimulated the longest vase life using the t-test at P <0.01 and P <0.05. Ovaries were excised from flowers treated with 2% sodium thiosulphate and the control on the 4th day of treatment. 500 mg of dry powdered ovaries were extracted for 6 h with 50ml boiling 80% ethanol using a Soxhlet extractor, dried and redissolved in 5ml distilled water. 1ml of 5% (w/v) phenol was added to 1ml extract and 5ml concentrated sulphuric acid was quickly dispensed into the mixture and allowed to cool (Dubois et al., 1956). The optical density was taken at 490 nm using a Corning Spectrophotometer 258. The quantity of ethanol soluble sugar was determined by reference to a prepared standard curve using 1 100 mg/ml glucose.

Phenological and physiological changes Induced by Extending Vase Life

Determination of Starch Content Two hundred milligrams of the dried ethanol insoluble residue was subjected to acid hydrolysis by refluxing with 250 ml, 1% sulphuric acid for 4 h. The resulting hydrolysate was cooled and neutralized with 10% sodium hydroxide. 10 ml anthrone reagent (1% anthrone in 72% sulphuric acid) was added to 1m hydrolysate and cooled in a water bath for 15 minutes (Southgate, 1969). Optical density was measured at 620 nm and the quantity of sugar was determined using the glucose curve and multiplied by 0.9 to give the starch content (Hassid and Neufield, 1964). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Phenological studies of cut Allamanda flowers showed that they have a vase life of 4 days with the flowers abscising without wilting. Cut flowers treated with sodium thiosulphate and ethanol also abscised without wilting while those treated with sucrose and acetaldehyde rolled up before abscising. The in-rolling of petals prior to abscission is a phenomenon associated with ethylene production (Brown et al., 1986). This implies that flowers treated with sucrose and acetaldehyde produced ethylene at the end of their vase life. Flowers treated with 2 5% sucrose may have produced greater concentrations of ethylene since the vase life of the flowers was drastically reduced to 1 to 2 days (Fig. 1). The vase life of cut flowers treated with 2 5% sodium thiosulphate increased by 3 days (from 4 to 7 days, Fig. 1). The vase life of Dianthus caryophyllus and Petunia hybrida flowers was also extended by silver thiosulphate (Whitehead et al., 1984; Whitehead and Bossie, 1991). This chemical has been shown to accumulate in the receptade of cut flowers where it blocks the activity of ethylene. The content of soluble carbohydrates in cut flowers has been shown to be related to the length of vase life (Kaltaler and Steponkus, 1976). Hence, sucrose was shown to extend the vase life of cut flowers when applied with germicides (Ichimura et. al., 1999). In the present study, 2 5% sucrose reduced the vase life of cut flowers probably due to he promotion of bacterial proliferation.

Umebese C.E., Oji C.K. and Osinaike T.S.

8 7 6 Vase Life of Flowers (days) 5 4 3 2 1 0 2% 5% 2% 10% Ethanol 20% 2% 5% 1% 2% 3% 5%

Control Acetaldehyde

Sodium thiosulphate Treatment

Sucrose

Fig. 1: Vase life of cut Allamanda flowers treated with different concentrations of acetaldehyde, ethanol, sodium thiosulphate. Acetaldehyde (2 and 5%) prevented the onset of leaf chlorosis till the 7th day while chlorosis began in the control by the 5th day (Fig. 2). Prevention of chlorosis did not extend the vase life of cut flowers. Acetaldehyde and ethanol did not extend the vase life of Allamanda flowers while they were shown to improve the vase life of cut carnations due to the inhibition of ovary development (Podd and Van Staden, 2002).

Phenological and physiological changes Induced by Extending Vase Life

8 7 Time of Leaf Chlorosis (days) 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 2% 5% 2% 10% Ethanol 20% 2% 5% 1% 2% 3% 5%

Control Acetaldehyde

Sodium thiosulphate

Sucrose

Treatment

Fig. 2: Time of appearance of leaf chlorosis in the shoots of cut Allamanda flowers during chemical treatment.

Sodium thiosulphate (2 and 5%) induced the highest number of new leaves and buds though the time of formation of buds was similar to the control (Figs. 3 5). Furthermore, the formation of new buds and leaves towards the end of the experiment when senescence had set in, confirmed the translocation of energy from senescing sources to juvenile sinks (Hopkins and Hner, 2004). There was also a delay in root formation of cut flowers treated with sodium thiosulphate (Fig. 6) while the ovaries had significantly higher (P > 0.05) starch and sugar contents than the control (Table 1). Since ovaries have strong sink activity in the senescence process (Marissen, 1995), the high sugar and starch contents of ovaries of treated flowers may have been due to the enhanced photosynthetic activity by new buds and leaves.

Umebese C.E., Oji C.K. and Osinaike T.S.

6 Time of New Bud Formation (days) 5 4 3 2 1 0 2% 5% 2% 10% Ethanol 20% 2% 5% 1% 2% 3% 5%

Control Acetaldehyde

Sodium thiosulphate

Sucrose

Chemical Treatment

Fig. 3: Time of new bud formation in cut Allamanda flowers during treatment.

3.5 Number of Buds Formed by 8th Day 3 bc b

2.5 2 ac a a ac a a b

1.5 1

0.5 0 2% 5% 2% 10% 20% 2% 5% 1% 2% 3% 5%

Treatment

Fig. 4: Number of new buds formed on the shoots of cut Allamanda flowers by the 8th day of treatment.

Phenological and physiological changes Induced by Extending Vase Life

3 c Number of Leaves Formed by 8th Day 2.5 ac 2 c

1.5

ab b b

0.5

0 2% 5% 2% 10% Ethanol 20% 2% 5% 1% 2% 3% 5%

Control Acetaldehyde

Sodium thiosulphate

Sucrose

Treatment

Fig. 5: Number of new leaves formed by the 8th day of treatment of cut Allamanda flowers.

Umebese C.E., Oji C.K. and Osinaike T.S.

8 7 Time of Root Formation (Days) 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 2% 5% 2% 10% Ethanol 20% 2% 5% 1% 2% 3% 5%

Control Acetaldehyde

Sodium thiosulphate

Sucrose

Chemical Treatment

Fig. 6: Time of root formation on the stems of cut Allamanda flowers during treatment.

Table 1:

Sugar and Starch Contents of ovaries of cut Allamanda flowers, treated with 2% sodium thiosulphate Treatment with 2% sodium thiosulphate 17.12 0.44* 77.30 0.14* Control 13.70 0.64 33.44 0.53

Carbohydrate content of ovaries Sugar content of ovaries (%) Starch content of ovaries (%) * Significantly higher at P < 0.05

Sodium thiosulphate prolonged the vase life of cut Allamanda flowers by 3 days. This may have resulted from increased production of new buds and leaves increased amounts of starch and sugar and a delay in root formation. Though acetaldehyde delayed leaf chlorosis, induced leaf formation and prevented root formation, it did not prolong the vaselife of Allamanda flowers. Ethanol enhanced leaf chlorosis, reduced leaf formation, delayed root formation and reduced the vase life of the flowers. The effect of sucrose was most inhibiting to the vaselife of the flowers. It reduced vaselife by 2-3 days, induced early leaf chlorosis and prevented bud, leaf and root formation.

Phenological and physiological changes Induced by Extending Vase Life

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