The Effect of Nanosilver on Postharvest Longevity of Thalictrum aquilegifolium L. Foliage
<em>Thalictrum aquilegifolium </em>L. ‘Black Stockings,’ with its interesting foliage, is used as a cut greenery. We tested the postharvest longevity of the foliage after different 24-hr conditioning treatments with nanosilver (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 mg dm<sup>−3</sup>) and 20 g dm<sup>−3</sup> sucrose and compared the results with those obtained using the standard preservative (200 mg dm<sup>−3</sup> 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate + 20 g dm<sup>−3</sup> sucrose) and Floralife 200 Clear. The longevity of the foliage and the content of assimilative pigments were evaluated and the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus (F<sub>0</sub>, Fm, Fv/Fm) was analyzed. We found that leaf senescence, as determined by chlorophyll <em>a </em>and carotenoid content after 14 days of holding, was most effectively inhibited by the solution containing 5 mg dm<sup>−3</sup> nanosilver and sucrose. This solution increased the maximal quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) in the leaves.