Effects of different storage methods and periods on vase life of cut narcissus (Narcissus tazetta L. 'Karaburun')

Improving storage performance of cut flowers is particularly useful for flowers that are short-lived, and whose display period in the field is brief. Here we report on factors affecting postharvest performance of Narcissus tazetta L. 'Karaburun', which is a field-grown narcissus in Turkey. A factorial experiment was performed, in which the cut narcissi were held dry in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) or wrapped paper at 0±0.5°C for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 weeks, and were pulsed with 0.25 mM silver thiosulfate (STS) or distilled water (control) either before or after storage. Vase life of 7 days was reduced with increasing storage duration. The degree of the decrease in vase life depended on the type of storage treatment imposed. At 5 weeks of storage, wrapped paper was as good as MAP for maintaining vase life (4.7-5.6 days), when a pre-storage pulsing treatment was applied. However, at 6 weeks of storage, the MAP-stored flowers had a better vase life (5.3 days) than those stored in paper (4 days). The vase life of the 6-week paper-stored flowers was even less (2.1 days), when the pulsing treatment was applied after storage. By contrast, at 6 weeks of storage, the vase life of the MAP-stored flowers was the same (4.9-5 days), regardless of the time of application of the pulsing treatment pre- or post-storage. In conclusion, the best treatment for N. tazetta L. 'Karaburun' was MAP storage, combined with STS pulsing, applied either pre- or post-storage.