Effect of accidental pollination during shipping on petal abscission in regal pelargonium

Hye Ji Kim, A. Espenshade, K. M. Brown

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Shipping stress causes a variety of quality problems with potted flowering plants. In the highly ethylene-sensitive species Pelargonium xdomesticum, shipping results in flower petal abscission and unsatisfactory quality for the receiver. The extent of accidental pollination during shipping and its role in petal abscission was investigated for four cultivars of Pelargonium xdomesticum. Petals were increasingly likely to abscise during shipping as flowers matured, but cultivars varied in the extent of petal abscission at each stage of development. Petal abscission after intentional pollination varied among cultivars and was highest for freshly opened flowers, but never exceeded 25%. Accidental pollination during simulated shipping occurred to a greater extent in those cultivars with a small distance between the stigma and anthers, but this accidental pollination was unrelated to shipping-induced petal abscission. Therefore stage of floral development and cultivar are the most important factors affecting shipping-induced petal abscission.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the International Symposium on the Role of Postharvest Technology in the Globalisation of Horticulture, IHC 2006
PublisherInternational Society for Horticultural Science
Pages451-454
Number of pages4
ISBN (Print)9789066053090
StatePublished - Jan 1 2008
EventInternational Symposium on the Role of Postharvest Technology in the Globalisation of Horticulture, IHC 2006 - Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Duration: Aug 13 2006Aug 19 2006

Publication series

NameActa Horticulturae
Volume768
ISSN (Print)0567-7572

Other

OtherInternational Symposium on the Role of Postharvest Technology in the Globalisation of Horticulture, IHC 2006
Country/TerritoryKorea, Republic of
CitySeoul
Period8/13/068/19/06

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Horticulture

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