Abstract
Recent studies indicate that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays various physiological roles in plants. However, whether H2S participates in the postharvest senescence in cut flowers remains unknown. In this study, the regulatory roles of H2S during the senescence of cut roses (Rosa hybrida L.) and chrysanthemums (Dendranthema morifolium Ramat.) were investigated. The results showed that compared with the control (distilled water), the 50 μM sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) treatment, a H2S donor, extended the vase life of cut roses to 9.3 days and their flower diameter also showed an increment of 22.7% after 4 days treatment. Treatments with 30 μM NaHS significantly prolonged the vase life of cut chrysanthemums to 8.87 days and the flower diameter was 13.21% longer than the control on day 6. Additionally, results also indicated that a 30 or 50 μM NaHS treatment effectively decreased the rate of fresh weight changes and O2− production and H2O2 content, increased the levels of soluble sugar, soluble protein, anthocyanin and carotenoid, and enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase) of cut roses and chrysanthemums in comparison with the control, implying that H2S might be involved in regulating the osmotic balance, antioxidant system and the degradation of nutrient and pigments. Altogether, H2S at proper doses might play an important role in improving the longevity and quality of cut roses and chrysanthemums by maintaining water balance, reducing the degradation of pigments and nutrient and enhancing antioxidant capacity.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Stephen Nazieh (Ghana) for his help in revising the manuscript. This work was supported by the Discipline Construction Funds for Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, China (GAU-XKJS-2018-228); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31860568, 31560563 and 31160398); the National Key Research and Development Program (2018YFD1000800); the Research Fund of Higher Education of Gansu, China (Nos. 2018C-14 and 2019B-082); the Post-Doctoral Foundation of China (Nos. 20100470887 and 2012T50828) and the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province, China (Nos. 1606RJZA073 and 1606RJZA077).
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WL was responsible for the conception, design of the experiments, and interpretation of data. LW performed the laboratory experiments and prepared the manuscript. CW prepared the Figures. WL was responsible for the writing, editing, and final approval of the version to be published.
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Wei, L., Wang, C. & Liao, W. Hydrogen Sulfide Improves the Vase Life and Quality of Cut Roses and Chrysanthemums. J Plant Growth Regul 40, 2532–2547 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-021-10312-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-021-10312-7