The cut gerbera flowers pulsed with AgNO3 20 ppm + sucrose 5% + RT + 24 h and packed with plastic sleeves with different ventilations for flower head only and whole flower scape in corrugated fibre board boxes (CFB) with newspapers (NP) and tissue papers (TP) as bedding materials, showed significant results pertaining to postharvest quality. After 4 days of storage at room temperature (RT) as prevailing in local or domestic market, the physiological loss in weight and wilted flowers were highest in the 60 per cent ventilated sleeves for flower head only and more spoiled flowers were recorded in zero per cent ventilated plastic sleeves for whole scape. Among the best treatments evaluated for vase life, the treatment plastic sleeves for whole scape + 20% ventilation + CFB + TP and NP recorded highest vase life (2.71 and 2.68 days respectively) due to more water balance (2.101 and 1.972 g/f respectively) compared to all other treatments. Further, these treatments also maintained moderate levels of anthocyanins compared to other treatments.
Pulsing, Packing materials, Gerbera, Yanara, Cut flower
