Parmeshwar, A. S.

Sr. M.Sc. (Hort.)

PHK802
Fig 1. Percent share of area under Horticultural crops
NHB Database, 2008
Fig 2. Percent share of Production under Horticultural crops
NHB Database, 2008
Fig 3. Major loose flower producing states
NHB Database, 2008
Fig 4. Major cut flower producing states
NHB Database, 2008
Fig 5. Export of Horticulture produce in India
NHB Database, 2008
 Introduction

 Post harvest quality of flower is influenced

during the growth of crops and is further
maintained by post harvest technology
 What is Quality
 Bud / flower size

 Intensity and sharpness of flower colour

 Colour and size of leaf

 Uniformity of colour in leaves and flower

 Stem thickness, straightness and length

 Weight of cut flower

 Absence of spray residue, pests and handling damage

 Pre harvest factors
1. Genetic material

2. Soil and Climate

3. Mineral nutrition, Irrigation

4. Growth regulators

5. Harvesting

6. Pest and diseases

 Genetic material

Choose species and cultivar to fit your needs

Vase life of different rose varieties
Varieties Vase life
Lambarda 9
Jakaranda 9
First prize 12
Kiss 12
Prestige 12
Grand gala 13
Mercedes 14
Confetti 14
Nobless 14
Safari 16
Dallas 16
 Soil

Character Requirement

C:N 10:1
Organic matter 0.5 to 0.75%
EC 0.8-1 dsm-1
Soil structure Stable
CEC 30-40meq/100g

BD 1.4-1.5g/cc
pH 6.6-7
 Climate condition

 Temperature

 Light

 Wind

 Humidity

 Co2
 Temperature

 Photosynthesis

 Transpiration

 Respiration

 Translocation
 High temperature

 High transpiration

 High rate of respiration

 Leaf scorch

 Poor vase life

 Low temperature

 Frost injury

 Low nutrient absorption

Blind shoots of rose

 Low photosynthesis

 High pest and disease incidence

 Light

Blue and Red lights are best for photosynthesis

 Photoperiod
 Duration of light during course of day

1. Long day : Carnation and China Aster

2. Short day : Chrysanthemum and zinnia

3. Day neutral : Tuberose and African Marigold

 Carbon Dioxide
 Manufacturing of food for plant growth requires
CO2

 Open fields - 0.035 per cent (350 ppm)

 GH -1000 ppm

 As sun light becomes available photosynthetic

process begins and CO2 depletes
 Humidity

Low humidity:
• Injury to leaf margins and petals
• Distorted leaves and flowers
• Wilting

High humidity:
 Plants – soft, marshy
 Rotting of leaf and stems

Balling in rose
Nutrition
 Uniform
over leaf,
Nitrogen
small
leaves

Chlorosis

Interveina
l or Magnesium
blotchy
Old and
matured Tips or edge
leaves scorch,
possibly Potassium
interveinal
yellowing or
browning
Necrosis
Interveinal
or blotchy,
varying Magnesium
shades of
colour
 Uniform over Sulphur
leaf Iron

Leaf edges purple,

interveinal
Chlorosis Sulphur
yellowing and
cupping
Zinc
Interveinal or Iron
blotchy Manganese
Copper
Young leaves
Interveinal
blotches and
leaf edge Calcium
scorching

Yellow to brown
Necrosis
interveinal areas,
red-brown purple
leaves, deformed, Boron
curled and torn
leaves
 Irrigation water
Water Quality Measurements Desirable Range

pH 5.8 - 6.0

Alkalinity 0.75 – 2.6 meq/l CaCO3

Soluble salts (EC) < 1.5 mmhos/cm

Calcium (Ca) 40 – 100ppm

Magnesium (Mg) 30 -50 ppm

Sodium (Na) < 50ppm

Sulfate (So4) < 50ppm

Chloride (Cl) < 100 - 150ppm

Boron (B) < 0.5ppm

Fluoride (F) < 0.75ppm

 Growth regulators
Trade name Common name Commercial uses

Plantgard 2,4-D Root inducer,

Cycocel, Lihocin CCC, Pigment former, senescence

Chloromequat delayer and growth retardant

MH-30, Sprout stop, Sucker out Maleic Hydrazide Auxiliary bud controller and
(MH) growth retardant

GA3, Gibrosol, Gibrel Gibberellins Germination, vase life and quality

enhancer

SARODEX, Rapid root, Quick root IBA Root inducer

 Growth regulators
Trade name Common name Commercial uses

Alar, Kyalar, B-nine Daminozide Growth retardant, flowering inducer,

senescence delayer and branch inducer

Regime-8 TIBA Seed growth enhancer and growth retardant

VIPHUL, TRICON, Paras Tricontanol Growth stimulant

Planofix NAA Root inducer and senescence delayer

IBA
GA3
 Intercultural operations
Intercultural operations Crop

Bending Rose

Netting Carnation

Stopping or pinching Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Marigold

Deshooting Carnation, Chrysanthemum

Disbudding Rose, Marigold, Carnation, Chrysanthemum

Pruning Jasmine, Rose

 Stage of Harvest
Crop Harvesting Stage

Rose Tight bud, slightly open

Carnation Paint brush

Chrysanthemum Two rows of ray florets opened

Gerbera Two rows of ray florets opened

Anthurium Spadix-almost fully developed

BOP 1st floret opened

Orchid 2-3 DA all floret opens in spike

Gladiolus 1-2 basal florets opens

Tuberose single Tight bud

Tuberose double 50% of flower opens in spike

Dahlia Fully open flowers

 Stage of Harvest

Crop Harvesting Stage

Alstromeria 4-5 florets open in the cluster

Freesia Buds show colour

Lilium At least 1 bud well colored

China aster Fully open flowers

Zinnia Fully open flowers

 Time of Harvest

 To prevent post harvest losses

 To have a better concentration of

carbohydrates and other growth substances

 To avoid unfavorable conditions-rain, dew, fog,

fungal infection
 Early morning or late evening harvesting is best
 Mode of Harvest
 Use of sharp tools like knives, secateurs

 Give slant and smooth cut for hard woody stems

 Avoid crushing of cut stems to prevent exhudation

of carbohydrates

 Cut the stems close to the soil surface

 Diseases
Crop Diseases

Dieback
Rose
Powdery mildew

Wilt
Carnation
Foot rot

Wilt
Chrysanthemum
Stem and foot rot

Wilt or collar rot

Gladiolus
Corm rot

Grey mould
Lilium
Soft bulb rot
Powdery mildew in Rose Gray mould in Rose Rust in Rose

Crown gall in Rose Downy mildew in Rose Black spot in Rose

 Wilt in Gladiolus Bacterial blight in Anthurium

Powdery mildew
in Gerbera

Downy mildew in Anthurium White rust in Chrysanthemum

 Pests
Crop Pests

Rose Red scale, Thrips, Spider mite, white fly

Carnation Gall and bud mites , Thrips, spider mite,

Weevil, Root knot nematode

Chrysanthemum Aphids, Gall midge, Leaf hopper, Leaf

miner, Mealy bugs, Soft scale.

Gladiolus Aphids, White fly, Snails and slugs

Lilium Aphids, Mite, Caterpillar, Leaf beetles

Lesser bulb fly,
Table 1. Evaluation of post harvest qualities of standard carnation
flowers grown under naturally ventilated greenhouse
Cultivar Flower stalk Fresh stalk Flower Vase life
length weight diameter (days)
(cm) (g) (cm)
Aicardi 42.03 19.53 4.83 11.26
Cerise Rimo 48.33 15.70 5.28 11.26
Desio 47.63 15.56 4.83 8.38
Forca 33.06 28.73 5.98 13.20
Isaq 37.53 14.96 5.25 12.23
Lillac Torres 37.60 10.10 4.85 6.80
Navajo 52.26 15.26 5.18 8.13
Sunrise 34.40 16.43 5.56 11.36
Tasman 40.40 20.16 5.70 9.63
White Feathers 38.40 12.23 4.50 10.30
CD @ 5% 0.54 0.47 0.69 0.35
Singh et al., 2001
Table 2. Quality of gladiolus flowers as influenced by different
cultivars
Cultivar Spike Spike Rachis Spike Diameter No. of Vase
length girth length weight of flower florets life
(cm) (cm) (g) (cm) per (days)
(cm) spike
Summer Sunshine 93.90 1.08 50.00 127.26 11.91 15.33 8.33
Sylvia 67.67 2.67 37.70 69.60 6.45 13.29 5.33
Trust 89.67 2.67 37.70 69.60 8.47 11.27 7.67
Vedanapoli 81.06 2.93 46.57 98.94 8.61 12.07 8.10
American Beauty 78.37 1.40 54.43 94.94 9.98 15.13 7.68
Melody 93.17 1.60 53.20 75.07 7.08 14.53 6.67
Snow White 72.83 1.27 46.37 73.47 8.72 14.87 6.68
Yellow cup 82.75 1.13 43.08 73.23 7.58 14.87 6.68
S. Em+ 2.75 0.10 2.16 8.42 0.76 1.31 0.37
CD @ 5% 8.24 0.13 6.47 25.23 2.28 3.93 1.09
Kamble et al., 2004
Table 3. Influence of planting time on the yield and quality of
tuberose flowers cv. Shringar
Planting time Plant height Days to No. of flower Length of Wt. of the
(cm) flowering stalks /plant flower flower stalk
stalk (cm) (g)

1st April 78.8 90.0 10.0 72.6 75.5

1st June 68.0 123.5 8.0 66.0 68.0

1st Aug 65.0 130.0 5.0 55.5 60.0

1st Oct 60.0 143.0 4.5 53.0 59.0

1st Dec 59.0 145.0 7.0 60.0 67.0

1st Feb 73.5 95.5 8.5 70.0 70.0

CD @ 5% 4.0 2.62 0.92 2.38 2.8

Gurav et al., 2005

 Effect of micro-nutrients and seasons on xanthophyll content
of African marigold
T1 – Control
T2- 0.5% of ZnSo4
T3- 0.5% FeSo4
T4- 0.2 % Boric acid
T5- 0.02 % Sodium Molybdate
T6 - 0.5% of ZnSo4+ 0.5% FeSo4
T7 - 0.5% of ZnSo4 + 0.2 % Boric acid
T8 –0.5% of ZnSo4 + 0.02 % Sodium Molybdate
T9–0.5% FeSo4 + 0.2 % Boric acid
T10 –0.5% FeSo4 + 0.02 % Sodium Molybdate
T11–0.2 % Boric acid + 0.02 % Sodium Molybdate
T12–0.5% of ZnSo4 + 0.5% FeSo4 + 0.2 % Boric acid
T13- 0.5% of ZnSo4 + 0.5% FeSo4 + 0.02 % Sodium Molybdate
T14- 0.5% of ZnSo4 +0.2 % Boric acid + 0.02 % Sodium Molybdate
T15 – 0.5% FeSo4 +0.2 % Boric acid + 0.02 % Sodium Molybdate
T16 - 0.5% of ZnSo4 +0.5% FeSo4 + 0.2 % Boric acid 0.5% FeSo4 + 0.2 % Boric
acid Balakrishnan et. al., 2007
 Fig 4. Effect of micro-nutrients and season on xanthophyll
content of African marigold

Balakrishnan et. al., 2007

Table 5. Effect of different levels of nitrogen and spacing on the
flowering of China aster
Treatment (N kg/ha Flowers Flower size Stalk length One flower Shelf life
and spacing in cm) /plant (cm) (cm) weight (g) (days)
0+30x25 30.88 5.38 17.21 3.10 11.11
0+30x30 32.10 5.83 17.61 3.44 11.22
0+30x35 32.77 5.88 17.99 3.55 11.33
100+30x25 33.77 5.88 19.32 3.33 11.88
100+30x30 34.33 5.94 19.72 3.77 11.66
100+30x35 34.55 6.00 20.10 3.88 11.88
200+30x25 36.44 5.94 22.88 3.79 11.99
200+30x30 37.10 6.05 23.16 4.11 11.99
200+30x35 37.66 6.22 23.33 4.22 12.00
300+30x25 39.88 6.94 25.00 4.44 11.99
300+30x30 41.11 7.38 25.27 4.88 12.11
300+30x35 41.55 7.77 25.60 5.44 13.22
CD(5%) 0.73 0.35 0.76 0.47 0.45
Shah et al., 2005
Table 6.Effect of cycocel and alar on floral characters in China aster

Treatment Days to first No. of Flower Flower

(ppm) flower flowers/plant diameter longevity
(cm) (days)
Control 63.80 29.49 4.20 16.50
CCC-500 57.39 36.39 4.14 16.82
CCC-1000 56.52 42.32 3.98 17.98
CCC-1500 54.21 47.46 3.89 18.56
CCC-2000 51.68 55.02 3.66 20.82
CCC-2500 51.40 53.87 3.68 18.69
Alar-150 58.38 33.67 4.15 17.32
Alar-300 56.05 36.07 4.14 18.60
Alar-600 53.51 41.90 3.97 19.88
Alar-900 52.17 47.86 3.88 21.88
Alar-1200 50.38 52.84 3.69 22.45
CD @ 5% 4.29 4.05 0.10 1.11
Joshi and Reddy, 2006
Response of African marigold to irrigation
and mulching
Treatments :
Irrigation regime
 I1 - 0.6IW/CPE ratio
 I2 - 0.8IW/CPE ratio
 l3 -1.0IW/CPE ratio
 l4 -1.2IW/CPE ratio
Mulching
 M0 - No mulch
 M1 - Black plastic mulch
 M2 - White plastic mulch
 M3 - Rice husk mulch
Chawla, 2008
Table 7. Effect of irrigation regimes on quality of African marigold
cv. “Double Mix”

Irrigation Consumptive Water Diameter of No. of Weight Flower

schedule use of water use flower flowers/ of ten yield
(mm/ha) efficiency (cm) plant flowers (t/ha)
(mm/ha) (g)

I1 182.48 40.04 3.92 36.11 36.29 7.21

I2 267.73 37.24 4.90 46.53 42.62 9.76

I3 319.01 34.52 5.26 51.48 45.15 10.84

I4 361.94 32.27 5.46 54.60 47.49 11.55

CD @ 5% 7.51 7.51 0.17 2.26 1.57 0.45

Chawla, 2008
Table 8. Effect of Mulching on vegetative growth and quality
of African marigold cv. “Double Mix”

Mulching Plant Plant No. of Diameter No. of Weight

height spread branches/ of flower flowers/ of ten
90 DAT 90 DAT plant 90 DAT (cm) plant flowers
(cm) (cm) (cm) (g)

M0 49.24 37.07 13.14 4.30 41.65 39.29

M1 60.05 44.15 16.63 5.47 53.45 47.21

M2 57.38 42.04 15.64 5.17 49.61 44.63

M3 52.69 39.05 14.41 4.59 44.00 40.42

CD @ 5% 2.29 1.59 0.63 0.18 2.61 1.93

Chawla, 2008
Table 9. Influence of different pruning levels on flowering of roses
under green house
Treatments Diameter No. of No. of No. of Vase life Vase life
of flower petals flowering flowers in distilled in tap
(cm) /flower shoot/plant /plant water water
(days) (days)
Hard 2.30 30.74 2.99 7.74 5.77 8.57
pruning
Light pruning 2.14 29.20 4.08 9.27 6.05 8.80

Green 2.20 29.45 4.27 9.58 6.15 8.90

bending
Disbudding 2.08 28.31 3.41 8.73 5.92 8.70

Control 2.02 27.77 2.10 6.71 5.82 8.32

S. E+ 0.021 0.477 0.111 0.124 0.129 0.156

C.D.@ 5 % 0.058 1.322 0.308 0.346 0.358 0.433

Jadhav et al., 2003

Table 10. Total carotenoid content in different marigold genotypes
at different harvesting stages and flower grades

Total Carotenoid content

(mg/100g)

Harvesting stage Flower grade

Genotype Half bloom Full bloom Small flower Large flower

PNG 416.54 385.48 355.77 378.41

Selection-8 405.19 347.15 308.77 321.72
Selection-19 397.05 326.75 302.58 319.28
Selection-20 380.95 312.56 291.43 301.41
Selection-22 369.83 318.78 295.99 304.97
Selection-29 366.99 331.05 298.04 319.86
CD @ 5% 4.95 8.51 16.75 10.87
Singh et al., 2008
Table 11. Effect of stage of harvest on postharvest life of gladiolus
spike cv. Eighth Wonder

Treatment Water uptake (ml)

(stage of harvest )
3rd day 6th day 9th day Total

Half swollen bud 20.60 10.00 2.20 34.80

Fully swollen bud 36.60 10.00 2.40 49.00

1st bud showing colour 34.40 9.40 2.60 46.40

1st floret open 44.60 13.00 5.00 62.60

2 florets open 51.80 17.00 4.20 73.00

CD @ 5% 6.46 3.25 1.56 7.08

Barman and Rajni, 2004

Table 12. Effect of stage of harvest on postharvest life of gladiolus
spike cv. Eighth Wonder
Treatment Spike weight (g)
(stage of harvest )
3rd day 6th day 9th day Floret Vase life
diameter (days)
(cm)

Half swollen bud 9.80 8.92 6.40 7.02 10.20

Fully swollen bud 8.52 9.46 8.02 6.48 11.00

1st bud showing colour 9.56 8.60 8.18 8.59 11.75

1st floret open 12.96 17.10 11.70 11.07 14.30

2 florets open 23.24 25.24 13.14 10.74 13.80

CD @ 5% 3.05 5.74 2.04 0.72 1.25

Barman and Rajni, 2004

Table 13. Percent disease index of Alternaria in different chrysanthemum
cultivars
Cultivar Percent disease index* Reaction
Mutant No. 9 10.55 Moderately resistant
Selection-5 15.95 Moderately resistant
Harvest Home 19.27 Moderately susceptible
Chandrika 22.18 Moderately susceptible
Saraval 24.10 Moderately susceptible
Karnool 32.18 Moderately susceptible
Bangalore 42.89 Susceptible
Sonali Tara 48.64 Susceptible
Nanko 67.66 Highly susceptible
Vasanthika 65.05 Highly susceptible
Baggi 62.20 Highly susceptible
S.Em+ 2.79
CD @ 5% 8.05
*0-5% - Resistant 6-15% - Moderately resistant 16-35% - Moderately susceptible
36-55% - Susceptible > 56% - Highly susceptible Kulkarni et al., 2005
 Conclusion

Pre harvest Planning Prevents Post harvest Problems

s