PECTIC VARIATIONS OF GERBERA CELL WALLS DURING VASELIFE

Gerbera inflorescences of the cultivar 'Maria', kept both in distilled water and in a nutrient+bactericidal+micostatic solution have been submitted to histochemical analysis in order to investigate the insoluble pectic substances content of cell walls.

The water content, the ion leakage and the keeping ability were also measured. It appeared that the nutrient+bactericidal+micostatic solution protected the pectic substances from decay, thus fostering the keeping ability and the water content of the florets and decreasing the ion leakage.