Effects of natural extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L., Thymus vulgaris L. and benzyl adenine hormone on some quality traits and shelf-life of Polianthes tuberosa L. cut flowers

The tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) is an ornamental plant related to the agaves, planted around the word. The main purpose of this study was to investigation of various concentrations of Thymus vulgaris L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., and benzyl adenine on longevity and durability of tuberose cut flowers. After extracting herbal extract and GC analysis, cut flowers were transferred to vessels containing preservative solutions. Then flowers were located in the controlled room. A factorial experiment in randomized complete block design with three replications was carried out in this research. Design include effects of treatments on quality of flowers, percent of total dissolved solids, water absorbance, stem bending, flower diameter, fresh weight and dry weight. GC analysis indicated that there were some compounds in the extracts increasing the shelf life of cut flowers. The most longevity (13.75 days) was related to treatment of interaction of thymus extract (10%) and 50mg/l benzyl adenine. In conclusion, treatments of benzyl adenine and thymus extract inhibited the growth of microorganisms in preservative solutions that resulted in increased post-harvest longevity.