Effect of hydration in vase life of two Heliconia cultivars

Abstract

Ensuring extension of the vase life of Heliconia commercial stems is essential for the consumer acceptance process. For this, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of hydration on the vase life of two Heliconia cultivars. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with subdivided plots (cultivar x hydration) with 6 replicates, being cultivars x hydration: no hydration (control), water hydration and hydration + sugar. The results considering cultivars as a factor showed a statistically significant difference (P ≤ 0.05). According to the comparison of means (P ≤ 0.05), the Heliconia psittacorum x spathorcinata tropics showed the best response. Both hydration and interaction between cultivars, showed no significant differences (P ≤ 0.05). Hydration did not guarantee a greater number of days of durability, so it is a good alternative, the use of dry treatment and the reduction on the excessive water use, according to the results obtained in this study.