Development of closed cut rose buds on artificial media and changes in sugar contents of petals during senescence

The cut flowers of Super Star roses were harvested at four different maturity stages namely, (I) tight bud nearing to maturity, (II) slightly tight fully matured, (III) buds with loose tips no unfurling of petal, and (IV) buds with loose tips and two petals unfurled from the tip (commercial stage of harvest) and these were held in mixtures of different chemical solutions. Rose buds of stage II and III which generally do not open in vase were de veloped to commercial maturity in a vase solution containing 8-Hydroxyquinoline citrate (250 ppm) + Acetylsalicylic acid (100 ppm) + D-fructose (1 per cent). Treatment of stage III buds with the above bud opening solution improved appreciably the postharvest life, quality and flower diameter of cut blooms over the commercial stage of harvest. Buds of stage-I were only half opened with the aid of bud opening solutions. Contents of total soluble sugar and reducing sugar in corolla tissues increased sharply from harvest to third day in vase and thereafter reduced at senescence of flowers. Rose buds harvested at different stages of maturity and treated with various bud opening solutions showed marked variation in TSS and RS content in corolla tissues.