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γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Inhibits the Enzymatic Browning of Cut Narcissus tazetta cv. ‘Shahla-e-Shiraz’ Flowers During Vase Life

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Abstract

Petal browning is a significant issue that causes cut narcissus flowers to lose their economic value, quality, and vase life. GABA has been shown to have a number of roles in plant growth and development. The effects of exogenous GABA treatment compared to control (distilled water) and sucrose (2%) on the browning process and vase life quality of cut narcissus flowers kept at 20 ± 2 °C with a relative humidity of 60–70% were examined in this study. GABA significantly improved the quality of narcissus by delaying petal browning during storage, according to research. The 1 mM GABA treatment resulted in the lowest overall color alterations (ΔE) and the greatest brightness (L*). The activities of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase were found to be substantially inhibited when GABA was used. GABA also enhanced the relative water content of narcissus petals during storage by reducing alterations in the cellular membrane stability index. Exogenous GABA may therefore be a viable strategy for inhibiting enzymatic browning and extending the vase life of flowers.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the research and technology deputy of University of Hormozgan, for supporting the work.

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The work presented is a section of the master’s thesis carried out under supervision of SR, GH carried out the experiment and interpreted the results and SR supervised the overall study and writing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Somayeh Rastegar.

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Heidari Krush, G., Rastegar, S. γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Inhibits the Enzymatic Browning of Cut Narcissus tazetta cv. ‘Shahla-e-Shiraz’ Flowers During Vase Life. J Plant Growth Regul 42, 2602–2612 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-022-10730-1

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