Short pretreatments of stems of anthurium flowers (Anthurium andraeanum André) with silver nitrate solutions increased vase life by 40 to 60% after a simulated shipping. Significant improvement was obtained with a single 10-minute treatment with 1 mm silver nitrate. Maximum postharvest life was obtained with flowers treated with silver nitrate within 12 hours of harvest. Silver nitrate treatment was effective on flowers ranging from half to full maturity. No measurable silver was translocated to the spathe or spadix. Silver thiosulfate complex was not as effective as silver nitrate. For response to silver treatment following simulated shipping of 3 days, 2 cm of stem had to be removed before placing in a vase solution. Continuous maintenance of the flower before and after simulated shipping in a commercial preservative was not significantly better than a single pulse with silver nitrate or a combination of silver nitrate pulse and commercial preservative.

No abstract

In Hawaii, the physiological disease of pineapple [Ananas comusus (L.) Merr. cv. Smooth Cayenne] called endogenous brown spot (EBS), occurs throughout the year. During the development of EBS there is a significant positive correlation between the number of spots and degree of darkening of spots. Correlations between number and degree of darkening of spots with pulp translucence indicated that higher pulp translucency does not necessarily camouflage the spots and thereby reduce the number as well as the degree of darkening of the spots. A heat treatment at 32.3–37.8°C for 1 day controlled EBS in fresh fruits held under refrigeration (7.2°C). In simulated shipping experiments heat treatment was effective when applied in transit in shipping containers before, during, or after refrigeration, the last being most effective. The only detrimental effect of heat treatment was increased fruit-wt loss. This was more than offset by the beneficial effect of the reduction in EBS incidence, and improvement in appearance and flavor of the pulp.