Selenium-Ethylene Interplay in Postharvest Life of Cut Flowers

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is considered a beneficial element in higher plants when provided at low concentrations. Recently, studies have unveiled the interactions between Se and ethylene metabolism throughout plant growth and development. However, despite the evidence that Se may provide longer shelf life in ethylene-sensitive flowers, its primary action on ethylene biosynthesis and cause-effect responses are still understated. In the present review, we discuss the likely action of Se on ethylene biosynthesis and its consequence on postharvest physiology of cut flowers. By combining Se chemical properties with a dissection of ethylene metabolism, we further highlighted both the potential use of Se solutions and their downstream responses. We believe that this report will provide the foundation for the hypothesis that Se plays a key role in the postharvest longevity of ethylene-sensitive flowers.

Plants’ Physio-Biochemical and Phyto-Hormonal Responses to Alleviate the Adverse Effects of Drought Stress: A Comprehensive Review

“…Interestingly, several investigations on the influence of ethylene on stomata closure have shown contradictory results. For example, Arabidopsis eto1 mutants with higher ethylene accumulation have slower stomatal closure under drought stress conditions than control plants, even though ethylene has been considered to improve stomatal closure in guard cells [244,245]. More ethylene accumulates in the rice etol1 mutant, resulting in more drought-tolerant plants than OsETOL1 plants susceptible to drought stress treatment.…”

Do Eco-Friendly Floral Preservative Solutions Prolong Vase Life Better than Chemical Solutions?

“…Moreover, the levels of various lipids decrease, which is linked to cut flower senescence [34][35][36][37][38]. Cellular activities, such as increased respiration and enzymatic hydrolysis, are two processes that occur during senescence in cut flowers [39][40][41]. Thus, the findings of in-depth studies on postharvest senescence physiology must be applied and optimized to improve cut flower vase life.…”

Postharvest physiology of cut flowers

“…Finally, considerable evidence suggests that Se may partially diminish ethylene biosynthesis. However, further studies are necessary to clarify practical aspects related to the use of Se in conservative solutions for cut flowers (Costa et al, 2020;Lu et al, 2020).…”

“…The main postharvest substances include sugars, as energy supply, and acidifiers, to reduce pathogenic fungi and bacteria proliferation and to prevent xylem occlusion (Gul et al, 2020;Gómez-Merino et al, 2020). Ascorbic acid (AsA) (Barth et al, 2006;Ghadimian and Danaei, 2020) is probably the most widelyused preservative compound, while solutions based on aluminum (Al) (Gómez-Merino and Trejo-Téllez, 2018), cobalt (Co), lanthanum (La) (Gómez-Merino et al, 2020), and selenium (Se) (Costa et al, 2020) are emerging as novel players on preservation responses in flowers. As flowers continue to have high respiratory activity, thus depleting the organic substrates already limited in the petals, the carbon dioxide production (Finger et al, 2016) can be diminished by lower temperature during storage.…”