S. HOSSAIN1*, U. MAYDA1, M. K. HIMEL1, A. SHIL1 and A. F. M. JAMAL UDDIN2
1Department of Botany, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka and 2Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. *Corresponding author’s Email: salekhossain6@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The experiment was conducted at the Plant Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory in the Department of Botany, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh to detect an agent which can prolong the vase life of Gladiolus (Gladiolus spp). Three different colored variety of Gladiolus i.e. white color Gladiolus, yellow color Gladiolus and rose-white color Gladiolus and some chemicals like Salicylic acid, Methyl salicylate, Chitosan, Sucrose and lemon juice were used in that experiment. Duration of the experiment was 14 days and the time period of the experiment was 29 February to 13 March 2012. Among three varieties, 10 days after treatment, number of bloomed floret was highest in White Gladiolus and at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 days after bottled sucrose with lemon juice showed excellent results compared to other chemical treatments. In case of different treatments of three varieties on number of bloomed floret at different days, chitosan in White Gladiolus showed the highest value 14.7, sucrose with lemon juice within the same variety and the same treatment with rose-white Gladiolus showed also good results (13.7 and 13.3). Control and treatment with methyl salicylate in all varieties showed lowest results. Treatment regarding sucrose with lemon juice showed lowest floret senescence in white Gladiolus and Rose-white Gladiolus where in yellow Gladiolus treatment with only sucrose showed lowest floret senescence at 10 days after bottled. Amount of water absorption was highest at two days after bottling and lowest was at 10 days after bottling in all the treatments. Longest vase life (13 days) found from the treatment covering sucrose in white and rose-white Gladiolus. On the contrary shortest vase life was found in all control along with methyl salicylate treatment in yellow Gladiolus.
Keywords: Vase life, Salicylic acid, Methyl salicylate, Chitosan and Sucrose.