Inhibiting biofilm formation of Enterobacter sp. prevented premature withering in cut flowers

Early withering and premature flower fall are a growing menace to the cut flower industry, the reasons of which were considered to be varied from loss of water uptake, bacterial proliferation, decay in tap water etc. In the present study, we identified the bacterial biofilm formation by Enterobacter sp. and subsequent water uptake blockage as the root cause of early withering in cut flowers using Chrysanthemum, Yellow Daisy and Maroon Rose as model plants. The biofilm-forming Enterobacter sp was identified by 16 S rDNA sequencing data. Studies on biofilm were conducted by using field emission scanning electron microscope electron back scattering diffraction (FE-SEM-EBSD), Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence microscopy. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted with different antimicrobials to prevent biofilm formation in both conditions. Most antimicrobials were toxic to plants, but we found citric acid 1,000 μg/ml and calcium hypochlorite 50 μg/ml to be most effective in preventing biofilm formation and extending the vase life of cut flowers. We studied the synergistic action of different combinations in vivo and suggest citric acid 1,000 μg/mL, Ca hypochlorite 50 μg/mL and glucose 1,000 μg/mL as the best combination to be used for prolonging vase life of cut flowers from 10 days (non-treated) to 30 days (treated).