Lilium pumilum is a species that stands out in

The demand for flowers and ornamental plants has significantly increased in recent years. However, in most cases, the production of such species is accompanied by inappropriate postharvest handling, which is responsible for significant losses of marketed flowers. Lilium pumilum, a member of the family Liliaceae, is one of the ornamental species with economic potential as potted or cut flower, which features long stalks containing orange inflorescences with several flower buds and numerous smooth as well as linear leaves. Due the high perishability of this product, appropriate techniques that extend flower longevity should be employed. The present study was developed to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid (SA) on the postharvest preservation of L. pumilum inflorescences. Stalks were kept in maintenance solution with different concentrations of SA (0, 1, 5 and 10 mM) for 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h. The L. pumilum flowers had longevity decreased by 57.8 and 63.1% when kept in 5 and 10 mM SA, respectively, compared with control. This effect may be associated with the observed decrease in the percentages of flower opening and chlorophyll content as well as the damping-off of stalks, indicating phytotoxicity. Therefore, the use of 5 and 10 mM SA is inefficient to extend the longevity of L. pumilum.

Floriculture is a promising activity and has great economic importance. In this context, the cultivation of Lilium pumilum Redouté stands out. However, one of the main challenges flower farmers face is that a large part of the products is lost before reaching the final consumer, due to postharvest losses. Such losses can be minimized by adopting some techniques, such as the use of conditioning solution (pulsing), which has been effective in preventing early senescence. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of pulsing with sucrose, citric acid and silver thiosulphate on postharvest conservation of L. pumilum cut flowers. All treatments promoted a 1.8±0.3 day increase in longevity, uniformity of floral opening, and reduced fresh weight loss compared to the control (flowers that were not pulse-treated). There was no significant difference in chlorophyll content and leaf relative water content. The time of exposure to pulsing caused significant differences in the reduction of anthocyanin contents when compared to the control, demonstrating that pulsing preservative solution for at least 6 h extends the vase life of L. pumilum cut flowers by two days.

Among the ornamental flowers marketed as flower vase or cut, there is Lilium pumilum belonging to the Liliaceae family, which is characterized by having several stems with inflorescences containing buds, easy propagation and varied coloring. The marketing of cut flowers is a promising activity; however the transport demands attention due to water stress, which can impair the absorption of water and rehydration, yielding a negative water balance, since the absorption rate is less than the rate transpiration. Based on this assumption, the use of appropriate techniques that allow extending the longevity of the flowers is required. This study aimed to analyze the effect of storage time on the recovery of dry turgor L. pumilum. For this flower stems were dry-stored for 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours. At the end of each period, the inflorescences returned to the water, and analyzed every 6 hours for changes in relative water content of the tepals (flower), orange buds and leaves. Daily evaluations were changes of weight and longevity. The relative water content of flower there was a sharp drop during periods of dry storage, but with recovery after 6 hours in water with greater efficiency in the treatment of 48 hours, with recovery of 86.8% relative to the control. As the relative water content of the button, all treatments were recovered. Regarding the variation of fresh mass, there was variation with the period of dry storage, and only the stems that remained for 12 to 24 hours to dry obtained superior recovery for loss of initial fresh weight within the first six hours of hydration at 118.7 and 26.01%, respectively. The average longevity of the stems was unchanged (6.8 days) for no treatment. Therefore, regardless of the duration of dry storage, there was recovery of turgor, indicating that flower stems of L. pumilum can be transported dry for periods up to 48 hours.