Effect of different concentrations of silver nitrate and aluminium sulphate on the postharvest parameters of gladiolus cv. Priscilla
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/jefa.2026.21.1.30Keywords:
Gladiolus, ethylene, postharvest life, sucrose, silver nitrate, aluminium sulphate.Abstract
The present investigation was conducted at the Postharvest Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during February 2025 to see the effect of various floral preservative treatments on the postharvest parameters of gladiolus cv. Priscilla. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with seven treatments involving different concentrations of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and aluminium sulphate (Al2 (SO4)3) each combined with 2 per cent sucrose. Results revealed that AgNO3 50 ppm + 2 per cent sucrose significantly improved most quality parameters, including vase life, floret diameter and solution uptake. Whereas AgNO3 100 ppm + 2 per cent sucrose resulted in good weight of spike, length of spike, floret length and floret longevity. The improvement in postharvest performance was attributed to the synergistic effects of silver nitrate’s antimicrobial and ethylene inhibiting properties and sucrose’s role in enhancing osmotic potential and supplying respiratory substrates. In contrast, the control treatment (distilled water) consistently showed the lowest performance in all parameters. These findings suggested that appropriate combinations of silver nitrate and sucrose could effectively extend the vase life and maintain the visual quality of cut gladiolus spikes.
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