The impact of light on vase life in (Anthurium andraeanum Hort.) cut flowers

De Abreu, Kathryn, Farrell, Aidan, Evelyn, Sarah, Elibox, Winston and Umaharan, Pathmanathan (2019) The impact of light on vase life in (Anthurium andraeanum Hort.) cut flowers. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 159, [110984]. (doi:10.1016/j.postharvbio.2019.110984).

Abstract

The impact of light quality and quantity on vase life was investigated using Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum Hort.). Cultivars ‘Spirit’ and ‘Honduras’, were chosen based on their contrasting vase life in previous studies, and designated as ‘Vshort’ and ‘Vlong’ respectively. Both cultivars were kept under three light regimes at 12 h day length: fluorescent lights of 40 μmol m-2 s-1, low intensity LEDs producing light at 40 μmol m-2 s-1 and high intensity LEDs producing light at 400 μmol m-2 s-1. Degradation, water uptake and hyperspectral reflectance were measured three times a week as the cut flowers degraded. Spadix necrosis was used to quantify cut flower degradation over time and to determine the vase life for each cultivar. Light regime had a significant impact on vase life and water uptake in Vlong but not in Vshort, with high intensity LEDs resulting in a marked increase in the vase life of Vlong. The rate of water uptake was higher for Vshort, while Vlong maintained moderate and steady water uptake over time, particularly under high intensity LEDs. The reflectance spectrums changed during spathe degradation, with different responses seen in each cultivar. Reflectance spectrums showed consistent changes in the ‘red dip index’ (R800-R685), with Vshort demonstrating an increase in reflectance of red light over time while Vlong increased its absorption of red light over time. Extension of vase life under high intensity light was cultivar-dependent, revealing a previously unknown interaction between light and vase life. The absence of any interaction in the short vase life cultivar suggests that this mechanism is linked to genotypic differences in vase life, while the contrasting reflectance profiles suggest that pigment turnover is important for regulating this mechanism.

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Contributors

Author: Kathryn De Abreu

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