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  • High production temperature increases postproduction flower longevity and reduces bud drop of potted, miniature roses ‘Meirutral’ and ‘Meidanclar’
    Publication . Monteiro, José; Nell, Terril A.; Barrett, J.
    The effect of two temperature regimes (29 °C day/24 °C night and 24 °C day/18 °C night) and of a 4-hour night interruption, during production, was studied on postproduction flower longevity and bud drop of ‘Meirutral’ and ‘Meidanclar’ potted, miniature roses (Rosa L. sp.). High production temperatures increased postproduction flower longevity and decreased postproduction bud drop. In ‘Meidanclar’, the high production temperature increased incidence of malformed flowers. No effects of night interruption could be shown on either postproduction flower longevity or bud drop.
  • Bougainvillea post-production: NAA and STS control of bract abscission is subject to exogenous ethylene
    Publication . Gago, Custódia; Monteiro, José; Rodrigues, M. H.
    The effect of NAA (500 mg.L-1 sprayed once at end-of-production), STS (0.4 mM sprayed every 15 days after bracts started to be apparent) and STS+NAA on plants exposed or not to exogenous ethylene (from ethephon), were tested using two completely randomized experiments. At the end-of-production plants were placed for three days under simulated transport conditions (17 +/-1 degreesC, no light) and then, placed under interior conditions (21 +/-1 degreesC and 11 mu mol.m(-2)s(-1) of cool white fluorescent light 12 hr a day). Twice a week, during postproduction (PP) the number of developing (D) bracts as well as the number of completely developed (CD) bracts remaining in the plants were assessed. Among the treatments tested, NAA was enough to reduce CD bract abscission during post-production, abscising at day 32 PP, a maximum of 50% of the bracts, provided that no exogenous ethylene was present. If plants were exposed to exogenous ethylene, then the treatment STS + NAA was needed to reduce bract abscission, abscising at 32 PP a maximum of 58% of CD bracts. At this time, plants treated only with STS had abscised all CD bracts if exposed to ethylene or at least 97% of CD bracts if not exposed to ethylene.
  • NAA and STS effects on potted bougainvillea: early flower death allows delayed bract abscission
    Publication . Gago, Custódia; Monteiro, José
    The effects of Silver Thiosulphate (STS) and Naphtalene Acetic Acid (NAA) (0,45%NAA+1,2% NAA-amide at 500 mg.l-1) on flowering bud development, anthesis duration, bract longevity and bract photosynthetic rate were studied in Bougainvillea spectabilis ‘Killie Campbell’ plants, under interior conditions. The relationships between bract longevity and the above parameters were also investigated. NAA induced longer bract longevities, shorter flower anthesis duration and lower percentage of flowers reaching anthesis. STS alone increased duration of flower anthesis but did not affect CD (completely developed) bract abscission, as compared to the water treatment. Depending on the experiment, adding STS to NAA delayed or had no effect on bract abscission. Longer bract longevities were related to shorter flower anthesis and lower percentage of flowers reaching anthesis. Manual removal of flowers from the bract+flower unit increased bract longevity. Despite the low level of irradiance, bracts photosynthesized and plants treated with NAA (alone or with STS) had lower bract photosynthetic rates. Bract photosynthetic activity, although with relevant rates (similar to leaves and most probably capable of covering respiration expenditure) did not seem important as an energy source for bract longevity since bracts that lasted longer had lower photosynthetic rates. In the water control, percentage of flowers reaching anthesis positively correlated with bract photosynthetic rates. In potted bougainvillea under low light conditions, flower senescence and bract abscission are under different types of control. In addition to the classical effect of auxin reducing ethylene production, and/or sensitivity of the abscission zone to ethylene, NAA delays bougainvillea bract abscission via early interruption of flower development.
  • Exogenous sucrose effects on carbohydrate level, flower respiration and longevity of potted miniature rose (Rosa hybrida) flowers during postproduction.
    Publication . Monteiro, José; Nell, Terril A.; Barrett, J.
    The effect of continuous injection of exogenous sucrose on single flower postproduction longevity of attached flowers of potted ‘Meijikatar’ miniature roses was studied. At bud showing color, with sepals starting to unfold, plants were moved to interior conditions and started being continuously injected with a solution of 3% sucrose or distilled water. Carbohydrate levels, flower respiration and single flower longevity were assessed. The method presented some variability in the amounts of solution supplied to the plants. Infusion of exogenous sucrose increased attached miniature rose flower longevity by 1.5 days and also increased flower respiration rate. The higher the uptake rate of sucrose solution the longer the flowers lasted. Exogenously supplied sucrose was consumed by increased respiration and consequently, at day 6 after anthesis, no differences were found in nonstructural carbohydrate levels between water and sucrose treatments. However, stem percent of soluble sugars was higher in the sucrose infused plants, suggesting that exogenous sucrose supply not only served as an extra source of respirable carbohydrates but also released stored carbohydrates to flower respiration. At flower death, leaf soluble sugars and total non-structural carbohydrates were higher in the sucrose infusion treatment and, independently of infusion treatment flower soluble sugars and total non-structural carbohydrates positively correlated with flower longevity.
  • Root-to-shoot ABA signaling does not contribute to genotypic variation in stomatal functioning induced by high relative air humidity
    Publication . Carvalho, Dália R. A.; Fanourakis, Dimitrios; Correia, Maria João; Monteiro, José; Araújo-Alves, José Pedro L.; Vasconcelos, Marta W.; Almeida, Domingos P. F.; Heuvelink, Ep.; Carvalho, Susana M. P.
    High relative air humidity (RH >= 85%) during leaf expansion hampers stomatal responsiveness to closing stimuli, a genotype-dependent effect. Genotypes with reduced stomatal closure in response to closing stimuli (i.e., sensitive genotypes) show low bulk leaf abscisic acid concentration ([ABA]). We hypothesized that the amount of ABA produced in the roots and delivered with the transpiration stream to the leaves is a critical step for a proper stomatal functioning in high RH-grown plants. Ten genotypes from a cut rose tetraploid population were grown at moderate (62%) or high (89%) RH. Stomatal anatomy and responsiveness to desiccation or ABA feeding were evaluated. Root and leaf petiole xylem sap [ABA] were quantified, and ABA delivery rate from root-to-shoot was estimated. High RH reduced stomatal responsiveness to both closing stimuli in the sensitive genotypes, whereas it had a nonsignificant effect in the tolerant ones. Estimates of [ABA] in root xylem sap at transpirational flow rate were not related to the genotypic differences in the sensitivity to high RH. However, high RH increased this concentration irrespective of the genotype, probably due to a reduced dilution of the [ABA] in the xylem sap as a result of a lower transpiration rate compared to moderate RH-grown plants. Leaf petiole xylem sap [ABA] was neither related to the genotypic differences in the sensitivity to high RH nor it was affected by RH. We concluded that genotypic differences in the stomatal sensitivity to high RH cannot be explained by changes in the [ABA] delivered with the transpiration stream from the roots to the leaves. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Postproduction of potted miniature rose: flower respiration and single flower longevity
    Publication . Monteiro, José; Nell, Terril A.; Barrett, J.
    Research was conducted to investigate the relationship between flower respiration and flower longevity as well as to assess the possibility of using miniature rose (Rosa hybrida L.) flower respiration as an indicator of potential flower longevity. Using several miniature rose cultivars as a source of variation, four experiments were conducted throughout the year to study flower respiration and flower longevity under interior conditions. For plants under greenhouse as well as interior conditions, flower respiration was assessed on one flower per plant, from end-of-production (sepals beginning to separate) up to 8 days after anthesis. Interior conditions were 21 ± 1 °C and 50 ± 5% relative humidity with a 12-hour photoperiod of 12 μmol.m–2.s–1 (photosynthetically active radiation). Flower respiration was higher if the plants were produced during spring/summer as compared to fall/winter. ‘Meidanclar’, ‘Schobitet’, and ‘Meilarco’ miniature roses had higher flower respiration rates than ‘Meijikatar’ and ‘Meirutral’. These two cultivars with the lowest respiration rates showed much greater flower longevity if grown during spring/summer as compared to fall/winter. The three cultivars with the higher respiration rates did not show differences in flower longevity between seasons. For plants under greenhouse or interior conditions, flower respiration was negatively correlated with longevity in spring/summer but a positive correlation between these parameters was found in fall/winter. During spring/summer, flower respiration rate appears to be a good indicator of potential metabolic rate, and flowers with low respiration rates last longer.