Examination of prolonged dry cold storage and hydration lengths during the process stage on cut roses vase life

Cut flowers have found an important role in human life, so market demand and cultivation are increasing. As cut flowers are highly perishable, it is important to extend their vase life to address sustainability challenges, avoid waste of natural resources, reduce carbon footprint and gain customer satisfaction. In the UK approximately 90% of cut flowers are imported (ca. 30% represent cut roses) and kept under dry cold conditions. During periods of high consumer demand, flowers may experience prolonged dry storage time compared to the rest of the year; this can affect vase life negatively. There are few studies mimicking real supply chain scenarios and, therefore, we simulate it for cut roses in the UK to examine the impacts of prolonged dry cold storage and hydration lengths on rose vase life in two separate experiments. The first study investigated drying lengths (24, 48, 72, and 96 hours at 5ºC) on vase life of two varieties: ‘Revival Sweet’ and ‘Golden Smile’. Interaction between drying (96 and 168 hours) and hydration solution usage time (0, 12, 24 and 48 hours) on ‘Revival Sweet’ was examined in the second experiment. In general, shorter drying times resulted in the longest vase life with fewer signs of physical damage (bent neck and damaged flower). In colour examination, no clear relationship between L*, C* h°, drying and hydration lengths was seen which may be because of the pink colour of ‘Revival Sweet’. Expanding hydration length improved solution uptake, reduced the pH, eliminated bacterial growth in vase water, preserved the sugar source and postponed senescence. When flowers were kept dry for 168 hours, hydration for 48 hours helped them show less than 50% damaged flowers and just approximately 30% bent necks after 18 days. In conclusion, during peak period, hydration for more than 24 hours is suggested to eliminate the negative impacts of prolonged dry storage.