Post harvest regulation of petal senescence in Gaillardia pulchella Foug. scapes by sucrose, 8-Hydroxyquinoline and methylchlorflurenol individually and in combination as vase solution

Using sucrose, methylchlorflurenol (a morphactin, MOR) and 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) individually as vase solutions and also in combination of two and three of these chemicals, regulation of petal senescence was investigated in scapes of Gaillardia pulchella, an important ornamental plant. Based upon prior experiments on other plants, the selected concentrations were 0.1M sucrose, 20μM MOR and 1.5 mM 8-HQ. It was interesting to note that individually sucrose and 8-HQ behaved differently in comparison to the situation when both were present in the same holding solution. A combination of three (sucrose + MOR + 8-HQ) could effectively reduce the decline in flower diameter and membrane stability index (MSI) of petals. It could also minimize protein degradation and lipid peroxidation. Higher fresh weight and cumulative uptake of solution in scapes could be maintained by the combination of sucrose + 8-HQ in vase solution. However, individual application of MOR with the selected concentration was not effective in Gaillardia in this study.