Sugar Metabolism During Ray Floret Senescence in Uncut Flowers of Cosmos Bipinnatus Sonata Series ‘Sonata White´

Various parameters of sugar metabolism such as total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugar metabolites and corresponding enzymic activity of invertase was studied from the day the flowers (inflorescences) opened till the senescent period in ‘Sonata White ’variety of Cosmos bipinnatus which remains in attached to the plant under uncut conditions. The amount of total sugars and reducing sugars had an increasing trend with progressing stages followed by a decline during senescent phase. This decline was probably due to the remobilization of metabolites by the plant. The amount of non-reducing sugars showed a rise before the senescent period. The invertase activity was found to be decreasing during the later half period of the life of petals.