Flowers of spray chrysanthemum cv. White Polaris were cut at 4 stages and treated in pulsing solutions of distilled water plus 0 to 146.1 mol/m³ sucrose. The flowers were harvested in local commercial greenhouses, at various stages of development, and transported to the laboratory. The whole stem and inflorescences were immersed in tap water under the shade, during 3 hours. The flowers were selected for uniformity in terms of development. The stems were trimmed to equal length (50 to 60 cm) and tagged to allow recording morphological changes associated with individual flowers. The flowers were held during a 24 h pulsing treatment period at 25 ± 2°C and 60 to 90% air relative humidity under continuous cool white fluorescent light at 1.5 KLx. At the end of the treatment, the flowers were transferred to distilled water, under 10 h daily continuous fluorescent light and the same laboratory conditions as above. Vase life was measured from the end of the treatment period and was considered to have terminated when leaves and flower petals lost their turgidity and decorative value. Opening and duration of flowers of stalks harvested with apical inflorescences fully or 75% open was satisfactory in all solutions. Flowers of stalks with apical inflorescences 50% or 25% open did not reach the full potential of flower size, but 116.9 and 146.1 mol/m³ sucrose generally promoted flower opening.
chrysanthemum; harvest; postharvest