Salicylic Acid Treatment Extends the Vase Life of FiveCommercial Cut Flowers

To evaluate the efficacy of Salicylic Acid (SA) (0 as control, 100, 200 and 300 mg/l) to extend flower vase life, a completely randomized design with 5 most important cut flowers across the world Alstroemeria peruviana, Gerbera jamesonii, Lilium asiaticum, Rosa hybrida and Polianthes tuberose with 4 replicates and 3 samples for each replicate was conducted. Increasing SA concentrations enhance the vase life to noticeable values and the highest for all cut flowers was observed in 300 mg/L SA treatment. The addition of 300 mg/L SA to clean distilled water extended the vase life of Alstroemeria peruviana, Gerbera jamesonii, Lilium asiaticum, Polianthes tuberose and Rosa hybrida by 40, 67, 21, 71 and 56%, relative to controls, respectively. Salicylic acid treatments increased average petal water content of all cut flowers by 34% in comparison to control. The beneficial effects of salicylic acid are associated with the plant regulating and anti-stress properties of salicylic acid. Results of this experiment provide support for wider use of SA as natural, cheap, safe and biodegradable compound, as a vase solution preservative for prolonging the postharvest longevity of cut flowers.