Evidence for Physiological Vascular Occlusion in Stems of Cut Gerbera cv. Hongyan

The aim of this paper was to assess the effect of catechol (CH), as a peroxidase inhibitor, and 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (HQC), as a bacterial inhibitor, on keeping the quality of Gerbera Jamesonii cv. Hongyan cut flowers, known to be limited by vascular occlusion. Blockage in the stem xylem vessels of cut gerbera was studied using light and scanning electron microscope. The results showed that some stem xylem vessels of the cut flowers were blocked during the vase period, and the blockage consisted of some amorphous or physiological deposition and rod-shaped bacteria located within the 5cm stem end of the cut flower. In addition, CH (1.0mM) or 8-HQC (0.45mM) decreased the blockage of stems and reduced the bacterial growth in the vase solution, but extended the vase life without statistical significance. The combination of CH (0.5 or 1.0 mM) and 8HQC (0.45mM) decreased the blockage and inhibited the bacteria more than CH or 8HQC alone, and extended the vase life significantly (P≤ 0.05).