Impact of pre and postharvest γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) treatment on postharvest chilling injury in anthurium cut flowers (Anthurium andraeanum L.)

The optimum temperature storage of anthurium flowers is 12.5–20 ºC because they are very sensitive to chilling injury (CI). In this study, the effects of 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mM γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) treatment applied by preharvest spraying or postharvest stem-end dipping (15 min at 20 ºC) on CI of anthurium flowers (cv. Sirion) stored at 4 ºC for 21 days was investigated. CI symptoms were accompanied by spathe browning and increase in electrolyte leakage as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) content. GABA treatment at 1 and 5 mM by pre and postharvest treatment, respectively, delayed spathe browning and increases in electrolyte leakage and MDA accumulation. Also, GABA treatments delayed decrease in total anthocyanins leading to significantly higher total anthocyanins content in GABA treated anthurium cut flowers during storage at 4 ºC for 21. GABA treatment at 1 and 5 mM by pre and postharvest treatment, respectively, delayed decrease in spathe RWC. Also, glycine betaine (GB) content in anthurium cut flowers treated with GABA was significantly higher than control flowers during storage. These results showed that GABA treatment at 1 and 5 mM by pre and postharvest treatment, respectively, ameliorated chilling injury of anthurium cut flowers, which can be used as promising technology at commercial scale.