Deterioration of Membrane During Flower Senescence in Gladiolus and its Amelioration With Free Radical Scavenger

Studies were conducted to establish the role of membrane integrity in flower senescence of gladiolus. Membrane integrity in terms of membrane stability index (MSI) was positively is related with delay in senescence while, lipid peroxidation (in terms of TBARS-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and lipoxygenase (LOX) activity were found to be negatively correlated with flower senescence in gladiolus when measured as reduction in fresh weight. Sodium benzoate (0.1 mM) could delav the senescence of gladiolus florets significantly by sustaining the MSI for longer time at higher level in comparison to control and restricting the TBARS content and LOX activity. Variety Snow Princess could retain fresh weight for longer time in comparison to Dhanwantari in response to sodium benzoate.