Effect of essential oil of Ajowan on antioxidant capacity, flower longevity and resistance to gray mold of rose cut flower (Rosa × hybrida cv. Angelina)

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Ajowan's (Carum copticum) essential oil as a natural and non-chemical fungicide on flower longevity and gray mold infection as the most important agent of rose postharvest losses. Different essential oil concentrations of Ajowan (0, 300 600 and 900 µL/L) applied as a postharvest foliar application on rose cut flowers (Rosa × hybrida cv. Angelina) which inoculated with gray mold fungus compared to the control (non-contaminated). Based on the results, enzymatic antioxidant capacity (CAT and POD), lipid peroxidation, vase life and gray mold contamination were affected significantly by gray mold infection and foliar application of Ajowan essential oil. According to the results, the minimum gray mold infection was observed at the highest essential oil level 900 µL/L. The highest flower vase life of roses which were inoculated by gray mold was observed at 600 µL/L; while maximum flower vase life was observed at the same concentration but in non-inoculated flowers by gray mold (control plants). The results of the present experiment led to conclude that increasing of flower longevity of infected roses by gray mold under Ajowan's essential oil was achieved because of lipid peroxidation reduction and ion leakage as well, as a consequence of antioxidant activity which has been happened under essential oil treatments.