Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly: JARQ
Online ISSN : 2185-8896
Print ISSN : 0021-3551
ISSN-L : 0021-3551
Crop Science/Horticulture
Improvement of Flower Vase Life using Cross-Breeding Techniques in Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.)
Takashi ONOZAKI
Author information
JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2008 Volume 42 Issue 3 Pages 137-144

Details
Abstract

The vase life of cut flowers, or flower longevity, is one of the most important characteristics that determine their quality and their ability to satisfy consumer preferences. To improve the vase life of carnations, conventional cross-breeding techniques were used to develop many carnation lines with a long vase life. Two new cultivars, ‘Miracle Rouge’ and ‘Miracle Symphony’, with a genetically determined long vase life, were developed. They had vase lives of 17.7 to 20.7 days (3.2 to 3.6 times the vase length of the ‘White Sim’ cultivar) under standard conditions (23°C, 12-h photoperiod, 70% RH). The ethylene biosynthesis pathway in these cultivars was almost completely blocked during natural senescence, which was responsible for the long vase life. Changes in ethylene sensitivity with flower senescence were evaluated using a time-lapse video recording system, which provides a simple and accurate way of evaluating ethylene sensitivity. The video system revealed that the ethylene sensitivity of various cultivars including ‘Miracle Rouge’ and ‘Miracle Symphony’ after anthesis decreased with increasing age.

Content from these authors
© 2008 Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
Next article
feedback
Top