Post harvest technology of flowers
Includes the annual post harvest technology of flowers
Handling of flowers after harvest
Preecooling
Packaging
Storaging
Grading
3. Topics
• Importance of post harvest handling of
flowers
• Inherent factors influencing post-harvest
life of flowers
• Right time, method andstage of harvest
for different commercial flowers
• Pre-CoolingTemperature For Certain
Flowers:Factors affecting storage life of
flowers
• What are the different methods of storage
of cutflowers?
• Grading and its methods followed for
important flowers
• Packing methods and Packaging of
cutflowers
• Vase life of cut flowers
4.
5. IMPORTANCE OF POST HARVEST HANDLING OF FLOWERS:
• The quality of flowers, which reaches the final consumer, depends
on the preharvest and post harvest handling.
• Quality is the pillar for creating value and customer satisfaction
• Flowers are highly perishable and utmost care
• When flowers are detached from the plant, they deprived of food,
water, minerals & hormones
• It is estimated that about 30% of flowers perish during handling.
6.
7. INHERENT FACTORS INFLUENCING POST-HARVEST LIFE:
• Keeping quality of flowers vary from species and
cultivars, this may be due to genetic or inherent
factors like differences in anatomical, physiological,
physical, biochemical and genetic make up.
• Keeping quality of flowers also depends on,
Carbohydrate reserves,
1. Osmotic concentration,
2. Pressure potential of petal cells,
3. Stomatal functioning,
4. Difference in number of thick walled supporting cells
in the xylem element and phloem fibre,
5. Presence or absence of a complete ring of secondary
thickening in flower peduncles,
6. Differences in the diffusive resistance of leaves in the
field.
7. Lignifications,
8. Level of plant hormones and
9. Susceptibility to disease and insects.
12. • RIGHT TIME, METHOD AND STAGE OF HARVEST FOR DIFFERENT
COMMERCIAL FLOWERS
• Right time, method and stage of harvesting influence the vase life of
flowers.
• Harvest early in morning or in the late evening when temperatures are mild
toavoid faster respiration rate to excessive water loss.
• Flowers are fully turgid due to low transpiration at night (rose,
chrysanthemum, gerbera).
• Evening harvest is advocated because of higher sugar level in the stem due
to high rates of photosynthesis during day time.
• Immediately after harvest the flowers should be put in water or
preservative solutions.
• Right method of harvest includes cutting flower stem with sharp knives or
secateurs;
• Avoid crushing of stem, giving slanting cut to hard wood stems so as to
expose maximum surface area to ensure rapid water absorption.
• Cutting stem length at specific lengths depending on crop market, purpose,
etc,.
• Harvesting at an optimum maturity stage is important and stage of harvest
varies from crop to crop and varieties.
15. • CONDITIONING AND PRE-COOLING OF CUT FLOWERS:
• Conditioning referred to placing of stem cut ends in water immediately after
harvest to avoid water stress;
• Generally conditioning is done by placing stem ends immersed in warm water at
room temperature for short duration and overnight in the cold room.
• Pre-cooling referred to subjecting flowers under cold storage conditions
immediately after harvest to brings down the respiration rate and field heat and
ultimately to enhance the vase life and quality of cut flowers.
16.
17.
18.
19. • 1. Refrigerated storage: Most widely used method of storage of cut flowers.
• There are two types (a) Wet storage and (b) dry storage.
• Wet storage :
• Flowers stored with their bases dipped in water or preservativesolution,
Good for short duration, day to day handling,
• Stored at a temperature at 2-4oC.
• Dry storage :
• Flowers sealed in plastic bags are stored to prevent loss ofmoisture. More
laborious but hold the flowers for longer duration.
• Pre-cooling and pulsing before dry storage is important. Stored at 0.5 to 1.0
o C is ideal for most flowers,
• For tropical flowers like anthurium, cattleya and poinsettia is 10- 15o C and
• For sub-tropical flowers like gladiolus, Strelitzia and anemone is 2- 8o C.
20. • 2. Controlled atmosphere storage (CA):
• Low temperature storage in gas tight chambers under decreased levels ofoxygen (O2) and
increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2).
• CO2 levels higher than 4% and O2 level lower than 0.4 per cent causes injury and anaerobic
conditions respectively.
• Different types of flowers cannot be store in the same room at the same time since the O2
and CO2 required for storage vary for different flowers and it is the one major limitation in
CA storage.
• 3. Modified Atmosphere storage (MA):
• Less precise form of CA storage, the dry storage of flowers in sealed bags leads to reduction
in O2 and increase in CO2 levels due to respiration of the tissue.
• Build up of very high level of CO2 may cause damage to flowers. Flowers stored in partially
permeable materials are beneficial.
• 4. Hypobaric or Low pressure storage (LPS):
• Storage at low atmosphere pressure under refrigerated
conditions, continuous ventilation and high relative
humidity.
• Rapid loss of water from tissues is major disadvantage and
cost of installation is also high.
