Effect of glycerine on drying of cut foliage of Polystichum squarrosum (D Don) Fee

Preserving plant material with glycol is called glycerinisation which helps to retain its original texture, shape and colour. Leaves preserved through glycerine are less prone to shattering and mechanical damage and more natural in appearance. The study was carried out to assess the effect of glycerine for drying of cut foliage of a western Himalayan native fern Polystichum squarrosum by two methods (uptake and full-dip) with different concentrations of glycerine (10, 20 and 40%). Scores on quality parameters like textural quality (4.89), shape retention (4.89), brittleness (5.00) and overall acceptance (4.92) were maximum when the leaves were treated with 40 per cent glycerine solution by full-dip method. The same percentage of glycerine solution also resulted in gain in leaf weight, minimum change in leaf area and low leachate percentage.