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Heliconia (Heliconia spp.), red ginger (Alpinia purpurata), and bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia reginae) inflorescences have similar stem structures and postharvest handling regimes. Inflorescences, especially heliconia, should be harvested in the morning while still turgid, and at the most suitable stage of development which varies with the species, its proposed use, and market requirements. Treatments that extend postharvest vase life, either or both enhance water uptake or prevent water loss and provide an exogenous energy source. Use of the most suitable temperature for shipping and storage prolongs vase life. Heliconia should be shipped and stored at >10 °C (50.0 °F), red ginger >12 °C (53.6 °F), and bird-of-paradise at >8 °C (46.4 °F). Sucrose (10% w/v), citric acid [150 mg·L-1 (ppm)] and 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (250 mg·L-1) are major chemicals used in pulsing and holding solution for bird-of-paradise. Holding solutions for red ginger are similar except 2% (w/v) sucrose is recommended. The response of heliconia inflorescences to different pulsing and holding solutions has been shown to be negligible. A 200-mg·L-1 benzyladenine spray extends the vase life of red ginger and heliconia. Hot water treatment of red ginger at 49 °C (120.2 °F) and 50 °C (122.0 °F) for 12 to 15 min extends postharvest vase life, kills most of the pests that infest red ginger, and reduces the geotropic response. The major postharvest problems are saprophytic mold on bird-of-paradise, negative geotropic response of red ginger, and insect infestation of all three flowers. There is no reported method to control the postharvest nectar and slime production on bird-of-paradise that provides a substrate for saprophytic mold growth. Dipping inflorescences in benomyl or thiobendazole (TBZ) at 200 mg·L-1 does help control postharvest mold growth in bird-of-paradise and heliconia. Compared to most temperate flowers, there is a need for greater understanding of morphological and physiological factors that limit the vase life of heliconia, red ginger and bird-of-paradise flowers.
tie-up Removal of some of the leaves (typically at least half or more) and cutting back and tying up the remainder are standard, yet nonetheless, controversial industry practices when transplanting palms. They purportedly reduce water loss and keep the
potential adverse effects during storage. The pinhole depressions applied after washing and waxing disrupt the natural cuticular barrier and the protective commercial wax cover, seemingly creating open cavities that would allow for increased water loss and
been to compare irrigation requirements to those of traditional plastic containers. Evans and Karcher (2004) found that when comparing peat, feather fiber, and plastic containers, the peat containers had the highest rate of water loss through the
described for Expt. 1. Containers were weighed at 24-h intervals for 7 d to determine water loss through the container walls. Because small differences in container dimensions existed, water loss was expressed on the basis of grams per square centimeter of
; Nambuthiri and Ingram, 2014 ). This study evaluated the impact of container material on substrate temperature dynamics and sidewall evaporative water loss under laboratory, controlled environment, and in aboveground nursery settings. Materials and methods
transpirational water loss and prevent wilting ( Malladi and Burns, 2007 ). Antitranspirants can be used by producers to prevent wilting and extend the postproduction shelf life and marketability of floriculture crops ( Goreta et al., 2007 ; Martin and Link, 1973
) and found that water loss was reduced when the container surface is covered ( Argo and Biernbaum, 1994 ; Lohr and Pearson-Mims, 2001 ). On the other hand, other studies showed that transpiration was the primary factor driving water loss ( Altland and
flaccid and stomata are closed. Closing of stomata inhibits transpiration and allows the plant to withstand water stress by decreasing water loss. Using this principle, growers can utilize antitranspirants to reduce transpiration, thereby limiting water
firmness with treated fruit compared with the control. Although large weight losses can result in cuticle desiccation, the weight losses (water losses) recorded in this research were extremely small (<1%) (control, 0.67%; cherry cuticle supplement, 0