Postharvest characteristics of Limonium 'Chorus Magenta' inflorescences

Water uptake and stem weight of harvested inflorescences of Limonium 'Chorus Magenta' declined rapidly when the stems were placed in water or a biocide solution, and florets remained open for only c. 5 days after harvest. The decline in water uptake and stem weight was greatly reduced by a 24-h wetting-agent pulse treatment of Agral LN or Tween 20 at 0.1 or 1 ml/litre. These treatments extended the period over which flower buds continued to open by c. 5 days. The addition of 50 or 100 g/ litre sucrose to the 24-h wetting-agent pulse treatment extended flower bud opening to 16 days. However, the number of open flowers was greater when the wetting-agent pulse treatment was followed by a 20 g/litre sucrose vase-solution treatment.