Productivity and postharvest durability of Heliconiaceae grown in full sun in the Midwest region of Brazil

ABSTRACT Flower stems of the Heliconiaceae family are gaining more and more space in the Brazilian market of ornamental plants and further knowledge about quality, productivity, and postharvest management is necessary. The objective of the present study was to evaluate heliconiaceae cultivated in full sun in the central-west region of Brazil in terms of agronomic traits and to determine the post-harvest durability of floral stems submitted to cold storage. Accessions of Heliconia bihai cultivar Caribea, H. bihai cultivar Iris Red, and H. rauliniana were evaluated. Quantitative and qualitative morphological characteristics and the total number of flower stems produced and number of marketable stems were obtained. Postharvest longevity was tested in a cold chamber at 16 ºC and 19 ºC and at ambient temperature of 26 ºC. Morphological characteristics such as the length, diameter and fresh mass of flower stems, inflorescence length, and postharvest durability of the inflorescences were the most affected. The most important variables were the quality of flower stems, productivity of marketable stems, and postharvest durability. The studied heliconias presented agronomic characters within the commercialization standards, highlighting H. bihai (Caribea) which presented the highest productivity. The best storage temperature for all accessions evaluated was 16 °C.