Cut flowers are highly perishable products and its shelf-life should be prolonged to the maximum to ensure the fidelity of consumers. A measure to assist vase life lengthening might most likely derives from the addition of exogenous sources of biocides, carbohydrates and acidifying substances compounds present in commercial floral preservatives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of floral preservatives on postharvest longevity, and reducing the number of bacteria in gerbera cut flowers. Six cv. 'Essandre' gerbera flower stalks as experimental unit were harvested at a commercial cut flower producer and placed in glass jars with 1L of these solutions: T1 - distilled water (control treatment); T2-1,0% (v/v) Flower(r) ; T3-1,5% (v/v) Flower(r); T4-1,0% (v/v) Flower Plus(r); T5-1,5 % (v/v) Flower Plus(r) and T6 - one tablet Florissant 500(c). The following variables were evaluated at the end of shelf life of the flower stalks: contents of storage substances, longevity, relative fresh weight and solution uptake. The pH of vase solutions was determined along the evaluation period. Bacterial counts were performed from solutions of the following treatments: T1 - distilled water (control treatment); T2-0,75% (v/v) Flower(r); and T3-1,5% (v/v) Flower(r). The floral preservatives tested did not increase the postharvest longevity of gerbera cut flowers. The use of floral preservative reduces the number of bacteria in gerbera cut flowers.
Gerbera jamesonii; postharvest; vase life; maintenance solutions; floriculture.
