Molecular aspects of flower senescence and strategies to improve flower longevity

Kenichi Shibuya

doi:10.1270/jsbbs.17081

Flower senescence: some molecular aspects

Planta ◽

10.1007/s00425-013-1984-z ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 239 (2) ◽

pp. 277-297 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Waseem Shahri ◽

Inayatullah Tahir

Keyword(s):

Flower Senescence ◽

Molecular Aspects

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Use of silver thiosulphate (STS) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) to improve the shelf life of miniature potted rose cv. Amore

Acta Agronomica Hungarica ◽

10.1556/aagr.52.2004.4.3 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 343-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

F. Hassan ◽

G. Schmidt ◽

J. Ankush ◽

Z. Dorogi

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Shelf Life ◽

Chlorophyll Content ◽

Untreated Control ◽

Rosa Hybrida ◽

Postharvest Quality ◽

Flower Senescence ◽

Flower Longevity ◽

Silver Thiosulphate

The quality of miniature potted roses during their shelf life is limited by bud abscission and premature flower senescence. Rosa hybrida L. cv. Amore plants were pretreated with silver thiosulphate (STS) at 0.2 and 0.4 mM and with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 g m-3 for 6 h in order to investigate the effects of these chemicals on the postharvest quality. Both chemicals extended the flower longevity as well as the plant display life compared with the untreated control. The best treatments in this respect were STS at 0.4 mM and 1-MCP at 0.5 g-3 for 6 h, which resulted in the least degradation in the chlorophyll content of the leaves. The treatment with STS at 0.4 mM increased the flower longevity and plant display life by 1 and 1.67 days, respectively, compared with the 1-MCP pretreatment at 0.5 g m-3. Since 1-MCP treatment does not have the heavy metal implications of STS treatment, the use of 1-MCP pretreatment for extending the shelf life of miniature potted rose cv. Amore was recommended.

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Effects of Silver Thiosulfate, Sucrose, and Calcium Nitrate on Vaselife of Ebenus cretica L.

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.32.3.460a ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 460A-460

Author(s):

Apostolos A. Paralikas ◽

J.C. Vlahos ◽

M. Papadimitriou ◽

K.A. Loulakakis

Keyword(s):

Calcium Nitrate ◽

Flower Senescence ◽

Cut Flower ◽

Flower Longevity ◽

Silver Thiosulfate ◽

Sucrose Solutions ◽

Leaf Yellowing ◽

Chlorophyll A And B ◽

Exogenous Ethylene ◽

Flower Quality

Ebenus cretica, Leguminosae, an endemic perennial bush of Crete, is being studied as a potential new cut flower crop. Forty-centimeter-long spikes with two to three inflorescences and six to eight compound leaves were harvested from 5-year-old plants grown from seed at the farm of the TEI, when 1/3 of the florets had opened, and were treated with various preservatives. Flower quality was evaluated morphologically combined with measurements of chlorophyll content in leaves and anthocyanin in petals. Without any postharvest treatments, inflorescences held in a solution of 100 ppm 8-hydroxyquinone sulfate (HQS) in DI water had an average vaselife of 6.8 days. Pulsing with 0.6 mM silver thiosulfate (STS) for 2 h extended vaselife up to 8.4 days. However, when ethephon was added in the solution, vaselife was significantly reduced, causing leaf yellowing and flower senescence, which suggests sensitivity to exogenous ethylene. A solution of 0.2% Ca(NO3)2 prolonged vaselife by 2.7 days, whereas higher concentrations resulted in flower discoloration and decreased flower quality. Sucrose solutions of 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 4% had no positive effect on flower longevity. Furthermore, the higher concentrations caused leaf yellowing and petal discoloration decreasing vaselife and quality of flowers compared to control. Samples of inflorescences were taken every second day for chlorophyll (a and b) and anthocyanin measurements. The concentrations recorded were highest in the 0.2% Ca(NO3)2 treatment and were significantly correlated to flower longevity. Results indicate that Ebenus cretica may be used as a cut flower crop; however, due to the genetic variability of the Ebenus plants, a breeding line should be developed before the crop reaches the floricultural market.

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Boric acid as a potential substitute for conventional ethylene antagonists in mitigating postharvest flower senescence of Digitalis purpurea

Ornamental Horticulture ◽

10.1590/2447-536x.v27i4.2374 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 516-525

Author(s):

Sumira Farooq ◽

Aehsan ul Haq ◽

Mohammad Lateef Lone ◽

Foziya Altaf ◽

Shazia Parveen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boric Acid ◽

Stage Iv ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Flower Senescence ◽

Flower Longevity ◽

Cut Flowers ◽

Delayed Senescence ◽

Digitalis Purpurea ◽

Reduced Activity

Abstract In the floriculture industry, postharvest senescence is one of the glaring challenges restricting the marketability of cut flowers. Hence, maintaining good quality of cut flowers and extending flower longevity are considered to be the most crucial factors in the cut flower trade. Therefore, to gain better understanding of the specific physiological and biochemical aspects of petal senescence we conducted an experiment to evaluate the efficacy of Boric acid (BA) on flower longevity in excised flowers of Digitalis purpurea L. Isolated buds were harvested at stage IV i.e, 1 day before anthesis and divided into 5 sets, with one set of buds held in distilled water (DW) designated as control. The other 4 sets were supplemented with 24h pulse treatment of different concentrations of BA viz., 50, 100, 150 and 200 µM. The application of BA at 150 µM concentration was found to be most effective in increasing flower longevity by about 4 days as compared to control. The enhanced longevity coincided with higher values of floral diameter, fresh mass, dry mass and solution uptake. Flowers with delayed senescence also retained higher soluble proteins, sugars and phenols in addition to lower bacterial density compared to control. Moreover, this ameliorated flower longevity has also been shown to be positively associated with increased activities of various antioxidant enzymes viz., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and reduced activity of lipoxygenase (LOX).

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Genome and transcriptome-based characterization of high energy carbon-ion beam irradiation induced delayed flower senescence mutant in Lotus japonicus

BMC Plant Biology ◽

10.1186/s12870-021-03283-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yan Du ◽

Shanwei Luo ◽

Jian Zhao ◽

Zhuo Feng ◽

Xia Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Developmental Stages ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Lotus Japonicus ◽

Heavy Ion ◽

Flower Senescence ◽

Flower Longevity ◽

Beam Irradiation ◽

Ion Beam Irradiation ◽

Carbon Ion Beam ◽

Heavy Ion Beam

Abstract Background Flower longevity is closely related to pollen dispersal and reproductive success in all plants, as well as the commercial value of ornamental plants. Mutants that display variation in flower longevity are useful tools for understanding the mechanisms underlying this trait. Heavy-ion beam irradiation has great potential to improve flower shapes and colors; however, few studies are available on the mutation of flower senescence in leguminous plants. Results A mutant (C416) exhibiting blossom duration eight times longer than that of the wild type (WT) was isolated in Lotus japonicus derived from carbon ion beam irradiation. Genetic assays supported that the delayed flower senescence of C416 was a dominant trait controlled by a single gene, which was located between 4,616,611 Mb and 5,331,876 Mb on chromosome III. By using a sorting strategy of multi-sample parallel genome sequencing, candidate genes were narrowed to the gene CUFF.40834, which exhibited high identity to ethylene receptor 1 in other model plants. A physiological assay demonstrated that C416 was insensitive to ethylene precursor. Furthermore, the dynamic changes of phytohormone regulatory network in petals at different developmental stages was compared by using RNA-seq. In brief, the ethylene, jasmonic acid (JA), and salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathways were negatively regulated in C416, whereas the brassinosteroid (BR) and cytokinin signaling pathways were positively regulated, and auxin exhibited dual effects on flower senescence in Lotus japonicus. The abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway is positively regulated in C416. Conclusion So far, C416 might be the first reported mutant carrying a mutation in an endogenous ethylene-related gene in Lotus japonicus, rather than through the introduction of exogenous genes by transgenic techniques. A schematic of the flower senescence of Lotus japonicus from the perspective of the phytohormone regulatory network was provided based on transcriptome profiling of petals at different developmental stages. This study is informative for elucidating the molecular mechanism of delayed flower senescence in C416, and lays a foundation for candidate flower senescence gene identification in Lotus japonicus. It also provides another perspective for the improvement of flower longevity in legume plants by heavy-ion beam.

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349 PROTEINS IN CHRYSANTHEMUM AS AN INDICATOR OF FLOWER LONGEVITY

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.29.5.480f ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 480f-480

Author(s):

Michelle H. Williams ◽

Terril A. Nell ◽

James E. Barrett

Keyword(s):

Protein Synthesis ◽

Flower Senescence ◽

Protein Profiles ◽

Flower Longevity ◽

Market Place ◽

Simple Tool ◽

Sds Page ◽

Breeding Programmes ◽

Postharvest Life ◽

Apparent Stability

It is generally accepted that ethylene production is centrally located in petal senescence, however, non-climacteric flowers senesce irrespective of the presence of ethylene. The regulation of flower senescence may well be linked to protein synthesis. Our objective was to develop a simple tool which can be used in breeding programmes and\or the market place to determine potential longevity of a flower. Here, SDS-PAGE protein profiles of both potted and cut chrysanthemum flowers were determined from flowering to senescence. Generally, only minor changes in both protein content and the proportion of the major polypeptides were observed in the potted flowers. However, polypeptides at 40, 45 and 65 kDa increased during flower senescence and are of particular interest because they could be linked to flower longevity. The apparent stability of the proteins may contribute to the long postharvest life of the potted chrysanthemum.

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Mechanisms of ethylene biosynthesis and response in plants

Essays in Biochemistry ◽

10.1042/bse0580061 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 58 ◽

pp. 61-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Paul B. Larsen

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Growth And Development ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Unsaturated Hydrocarbon ◽

Flower Senescence ◽

Detailed Knowledge ◽

Plant Growth And Development ◽

Step Process ◽

Ethylene Response ◽

Ethylene Signalling

Ethylene is the simplest unsaturated hydrocarbon, yet it has profound effects on plant growth and development, including many agriculturally important phenomena. Analysis of the mechanisms underlying ethylene biosynthesis and signalling have resulted in the elucidation of multistep mechanisms which at first glance appear simple, but in fact represent several levels of control to tightly regulate the level of production and response. Ethylene biosynthesis represents a two-step process that is regulated at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels, thus enabling plants to control the amount of ethylene produced with regard to promotion of responses such as climacteric flower senescence and fruit ripening. Ethylene production subsequently results in activation of the ethylene response, as ethylene accumulation will trigger the ethylene signalling pathway to activate ethylene-dependent transcription for promotion of the response and for resetting the pathway. A more detailed knowledge of the mechanisms underlying biosynthesis and the ethylene response will ultimately enable new approaches to be developed for control of the initiation and progression of ethylene-dependent developmental processes, many of which are of horticultural significance.

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