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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
The present investigation was carried out at College of Horticulture, Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh during the year 2013-2014. The experiment was conducted with two different types of biocides viz., sodium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite each at three concentrations along with control (distilled water only), a total of seven treatments with three replications in a completely randomised design with factorial concept. Aim of the experiment was to find out influence of these chemicals to check the proliferation of microbes in the vase solution in order to improve the water relations in the floral tissue. Flowers held in the vase solution contained sodium hypochlorite 20 ppm recorded significantly longest vase life (10.570 days) which might be attributed to an improvement in the water relations of the floral tissue through an increase in the total water uptake (8.089 g/flower spike), reduced transpiration loss of water (8.405 g/flower spike), improved water balance (3.753 g/flower spike) and fresh weight change of flowers (100.463% of initial of flower weight). An increase noticed with regard to total sugars content (3.700 mg/g fresh weight) and a reduction observed in the electrolytes leakage (27.738%) of flower petals by application of sodium hypochlorite 20 ppm also might have contributed to improved vase life. The same treatment recorded significantly lower values with regard to scape bending curvature (10.017 degrees) of the flower and optical density (0.034) of vase solution when compared with all other treatments, thus contributed to improved quality and vase life of cut gerbera flowers.