Postharvest quality of novel Campanula lines – assessment of indoor longevity and quality

The production of ornamental plants has a yearly turnover in billions of euros with Europe as the major producer. It is important to assess the postharvest quality of potted plants to provide tools to reduce the losses during transport and/or handling. The producers examine postharvest quality e.g., by assessment of the plantsRSQUO tolerance to different temperatures and light conditions. In the current study, two potted Campanula lines, i.e., 1 and 2, were evaluated in terms of postharvest performance, longevity and plant quality. Plants were kept under three different temperatures (i.e., 5, 23 or 28°C) and low light intensity (50 μmol m^‑2 s^‑1), mimicking transport/storage and indoor conditions. Control plants were kept in the greenhouse. The plants were evaluated every week by measurements of height, diameter, number of flowers and leaf colour. Additionally, photos of flowers and whole plants were taken. The experimental data showed that both lines did not tolerate the high temperatures. Plants kept at 23°C senesced after 3 weeks, and plants kept at 28°C completely senesced after 2 weeks, due to wilting and fungal infections. Plants kept at 5°C did not notably increase in size over the 3 weeks, and their flower number did not increase compared to the other treatments. Both Campanula lines tolerated being kept at low temperatures, thus exhibiting a potential to be stored and transported under cold environment before sale, thereby reducing postharvest losses. Line 1 kept in the greenhouse produced more flowers than plants kept in any other treatment, while line 2 displayed flowers only when kept in the greenhouse. This could indicate that the two Campanula lines need a higher light intensity to initiate anthesis. Collectively, it was found that none of the Campanula lines tolerated warm temperatures and low light intensity. However, the plants coped with low temperatures and only developed slowly.