Influence of Citric Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide on Postharvest Quality of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L. ‘Pearl’) Cut Flowers

Quality of cut flowers is an important issue at postharvest as well as an important factor contributing to marketing of and profitability from the tuberose. In this study, the effects of citric acid (CA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) added to the vase water on postharvest quality of tuberose cut flowers were investigated. CA was applied in concentrations of 50, 100, 200, 400 mg·dm⁻³ and H₂O₂ in concentrations of 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg·dm⁻³ and distilled water as control treatment. Results showed that both compounds had significant positive effects on solution uptake, wilting and abscission of florets, relative water content, chlorophyll content, and vase life duration. The effects of 100 and 200 mg·dm⁻³ of CA and 20 and 40 mg·dm⁻³ of H₂O₂ proved to be more effective than other treatments. Both compounds increased the vase life of tuberose cut flowers and CA at concentrations 100 and 200 mg dm⁻³ and H₂O₂ at concentrations 20 and 40 mg dm⁻³ doubled this time up to 14-17 days.