Physiological and qualitative aspects of postharvest conservation of red ginger [Alpinia purpurata (Vieill.) K. Schum.] inflorescences

Abstract

Alpinia purpurata, whose common name is red ginger, is the most important cut flower of the Zingiberaceae family, and ranks in second position of economical importance in the group of tropical flowers. The inflorescences of this species are composed of layers of bracts arranged in spirals and the true flower is small, white, ephemeral and emerges between the bracts. The longevity of cut flowers is determined by several environmental factors and is related to morphophysiological characters of each type of flower or inflorescence. The utilization of keeping-quality solutions seeks to prolong vase-life and to maintain the quality of cut flowers. In this context, this research was conducted in three stages to evaluate the effects of several chemicals on the postharvest physiology of red ginger inflorescences. At the first stage, two experiments were conducted with hold solutions, one to evaluate inflorescence quality and the other to measure the respiration rate of the flowers. The experiments followed a completely random design, in a factorial arrangement. The inflorescences remained in the following holding solutions: ) distilled water (control), 2) 2% sucrose + 200 ppm 8-hydroxyquinoline, 3) 2% sucrose, 4) 2% sucrose + citric acid, 5) 0µM benzyladenine, 6) 0µM benzyladenine + 2% sucrose. The utilization of benzyladenine treatments permitted to keep flower quality for longer periods and at lower the respiration rates in comparison with the other treatments.Additional keywords: red ginger; hold solution; quality; respiration; benzyladenine.