Interaction Effect of Sucrose, Salicylic Acid and 8- hydroxyquinoline Sulfate on Vase-life of Cut Gerbera Flowers

The effects of salicylic acid (SA), 8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate (8-HQS), and sucrose on cut gerbera was studied. SA (0, 100 and 150 mg l -1 ), 8-HQS (0 and 200 mg l -1 ), and sucrose (0 and 30 g l-1) and their combinations were tested as preservative mixture. This study was conducted in a factorial experiment with complete randomized design. SA increased vase life and reduced stem curvature at the concentration of 100 mg L -1 . SA at 150 mg L -1 increased mean absorbed preservative solution. 8-HQS increased vase life, dry weight, wet weight, flower diameter, mean absorbed preservative solution, and quality score. 8-HQS also decreased the stem curvature. Sucrose decreased vase life, flower diameter, and quality score, whereas increased dry weight. The treatment containing 8-HQS (200 mg L -1 ) had vase life of 12.9 days which was not significantly different from the combination of SA (100 mg L -1 ) + 8-HQS (200 mg L -1 ) which resulted in the longest vase life of 15.6 days. The results show that SA could increase vase life in combination with 8-HQS.