Foxtail lily (Eremurus) species are bulbous plants native to Iran and are recently emerged in landscaping and the cut flower markets as a novel, commercially significant specialty cut flower. This requires the necessity of cultivation and revival and on the other hand to prolong the vase life after harvest, in order to supply to the local and commercial markets and prevent the extinction of this national capital. Also, improving the quality standards of their flowers and ornamental aspects, physiological studies after harvesting cut flowers, and determining the best practical treatments to increase their vase life, these are some the solutions that can have a significant contribution in growing and extending the vase life, exporting and preserving them. This research was conducted in two different studies on E. spectabilis and E. persicus. The first study was conducted with the aim of better understanding the phenological and morphological characteristics as well as investigating some phytochemical compounds present in the inflorescences of these two species. Based on the results of this study, two tested species exhibited distinct forms of phenological, morphological and phytochemical aspects. In the second study, including two expriments, the effect of different post-harvest treatments as well as the role of ethylene in Eremurus inflorescence senescence by comparing the ethylene production rates and patterns, as well as the response to exogenous ethylene and ethylene inhibitors among two species, E. spectabilis and E. persicus were eva‎luated. Results revealed that the exogenous ethylene (10 μL L−1), as a pulsing or continuous methods, dramatically accelerated petal wilting in E. spectabilis and petal abscission in E.persicus. Furthermore, the rate and patterns of endogenous ethylene production varied significantly among two investigated species. Interestingly, E. persicus exhibited a detectable higher rate of ethylene production compared to E. spectabilis at first day after harvesting, but the reverse was true at the end of vase life (day 4 of vase period). The results showed that the ethylene inhibitors treatments significantly improved the water relation and vase life of both foxtail lily species. STS treatment (0.2 mM pulse for 24 h) significantly extended the vase life of E. spectabilis from 5 d (control) to 7 d. Furthermore, 1-MCP at 0.5 and 1.0 μl L-1 markedly improved water uptake, water balance, and relative fresh weight and prolonged the vase life of cut inflorescences by ~2d in E. spectabilis and E. persicus, compared with those of control cut inflorescences, respectively.However, the general comparison of the post-harvest performance of two native species of Foxtail lily and their vase life clearly exhibited that E. persicus had a better vase life than E. spectabilis, while this species had lower water uptake and water loss. However, E. persicus exhibited better performance than E. spectabilis species in terms of activity of antioxidant enzymes and water balance. Finally, based on the results of this experiment, postharvest treatments, especially ascorbic acid and nanosilver, improved the vase life of Foxtail lily cut inflorescences and can be recommended as a preservative solution to prolonging the vase-life of this cut flower.

نعمت اله اعتمادي شلمزاري

محمدحسين اهتمام

علي نيك بخت , حميدرضا عشقي زاده