Effect of different vase solutions on postharvest longevity of cut foliage <i>Ophiopogon</i> <i>japonicus</i>

Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f.) Ker-Gawl (family Liliaceae) is an export-oriented foliage plant with attractive white-green strips. The vase life of this cut foliage ends when the leaves loose turgidity and/ or bright green colour. Thus, to enhance the vase life of O. japonicus, effect of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mM CuSO4.5H2O, 10, 20, and 30 g/L sucrose and combination of sucrose with 0.5 mM CuSO4.5H2O as holding treatments, 20 g/L and 30 g/L sucrose solutions as 24 h pulsing treatments and 6-Benzylaminopurine 5, 10, 20 mg/L BAP were tested. Relative fresh weight of leaves, solution uptake rate and vase life were assessed. Vase solution bacterial enumerations were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of CuSO4.5H2O as a biocide. To investigate the function of BAP, amount of chlorophyll was quantified using leaf pigment extracts. The vase life of O. japonicus could be extended from 5.1 days to 12.5 days by giving BAP based vase solutions. Chlorophyll contents of leaves dipped in BAP solutions were significantly higher than the control (distilled water). CuSO4 solutions did not show any significant antibacterial effects compared to the control. According to vase life data, the most effective vase solutions were CuSO4.5H2O (0.5 mM), sucrose 20 g/L with CuSO4.5H2O (0.5 mM) as holding treatments, sucrose 20 g/L and 30 g/L as pulsing treatments and BAP treatments (5, 10, 20 mg/L).