Efficacy of inhibitors of ethylene binding in improvement of the postharvest characteristics of potted flowering plants

Pre-treatment of potted plants of Campanula carpatica cultivars Dark Blue and Blue Clips and Schlumbergera truncata cultivar Dark Marie with the volatile ethylene binding inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) inhibited the effects of exogenous ethylene (bud abscission and wilting of flowers). In an ethylene-free simulated interior environment, display life of the 1-MCP treated plants was unaffected (Campanula) or slightly greater (Schlumbergera) than that of the controls, although not as good as that of plants pre-treated with the anionic silver thiosulfate complex (STS). Differences in effects of both blockers of ethylene binding sites are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.