Cut flower industry is economically important across the world. Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus) is one of the most popular cut flowers in Iran and worldwide and the improvement of its postharvest life is very important. Stem bending during the early stage of vase life is a critical problem in many cultivars of this flower. In this research, silicon as an antioxidant compound was used at 500 and 1000 micromolar concentrations and the effects on some oxidative characteristics, antioxidant enzymes activity, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and polyphenoloxidase activity in three colors (pink, red and yellow) of cut gerbera flower were investigated. Histological studies also were performed by hand sections and light microscopy Silicon application prolonged the vase life in all three colors of gerbera. The lowest vase life (6 days) was measured in the control treatment and the highest vase life (17.33 days) was gained in pink color using 1000 mM silicon. Meanwhile, significant increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and PAL was detected, while polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and lipid peroxidation were significantly decreased. It seems that silicon improved the quality of gerbera cut flowers through scavenging free radical oxygen, preservation of cell membrane integrity, decreasing of PPO activity and increasing the vascular and supporting tissue.
Sadeghi Feragheh J, Farahmand H, Nasibi F, Abdolshahi R. Effect of silicon on antioxidant activity and the decrease of bending in cut gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus) flowers. FOP 2023; 8 (2) :201-216 URL: http://flowerjournal.ir/article-1-235-en.html