The Effect of Salicylic Acid on Reducing Browning and Maintaining the Quality of Narcissus tazetta L. ‘Shahla’ Cut Flowers

Rapid wilting and browning of the petals are some of the most important factors limiting postharvest life of Narcissus tazetta cut flowers. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of salicylic acid on the postharvest quality of narcissus cut flowers (cv. Shahla) based on a factorial completely randomized design with three replications. Cut flowers were treated with salicylic acid (SA) at two levels (1 and 2 mM) for 18 hours (pulsing) and transferred to containers with 2% sucrose at 20 ± 2 ℃ and 60-70% relative humidity. The control treatments were 2% sucrose solution and distilled water. Different traits of samples were evaluated during 0, 3, 6, 9 days after treatment. The lowest PPO and POD enzymes activity and percentage of browning were observed using 1 mM SA compared to distilled water and sucrose controls. Moreover, this treatment resulted in the lowest color changes (ΔE), the highest color brightness of the petals (L*), the highest flower quality, and maximum relative water content. The flower stem chlorophyll content was not affected by SA. In general, it can be concluded that 1 mM SA can play an effective role in controlling the polyphenol oxidase and browning of the narcissus cut flowers during postharvest.