Stress induced ethylene production, ethylene binding, and the response to the ethylene action inhibitor 1-MCP in miniature roses

In an interior environment, the display life of miniature potted roses (Rosa hybrida L.) ‘Bronze’ was 7 days, while that of ‘Vanilla’ was 23 days. Although there was a substantial difference in ethylene production between flowers from two cultivars, there was no difference in binding site activity (kd = 0.14 nl l−1). Pre-treatment with the ethylene action inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) did not have a clear effect on display life without preceding transport stress. When the plants were subjected to simulated transportation stress, post-harvest life of both cultivars was reduced (to 6 days for ‘Bronze’, and to 17 days for ‘Vanilla’). In ‘Bronze’ the stress resulted in a modest increase in ethylene production, but there was no effect of stress on the low ethylene production by ‘Vanilla’ flowers. Nevertheless, pretreatment with 1-MCP before transport simulation improved display life of both cultivars.