We examined the efficacy of various pretreatment solutions on the postharvest longevity and quality of ‘Hessa’ cut spray roses (Rosa hybrida L.) to develop an inexpensive and innocuous preservative solution for the cut flower industry. Cut flowers were pretreated with 4 preservatives for 10 hours: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi extract (SC) at 300 μL·L-1, hydrosol (H), S. baicalensis Georgi extract 300 μL·L-1 + sucrose 1% (SC + Suc), and H + sucrose 1% (H + Suc). The results showed that pretreatment with all the solutions except H + Suc improved the postharvest longevity and extended the longevity of cut rose flowers. We found that 300 μL·L-1 of SC was the most effective preservative, which significantly prolonged the postharvest longevity in cut flowers from 9.7 days (control) to 14.1 days. The beneficial effects of 300 μL·L-1 SC pretreatment were associated with inhibition of bacterial accumulation at the basal portion of cut stems, enhanced water uptake, improved fresh weight, and a positive water balance. SC also effectively maintained chlorophyll fluorescence ratios in the leaves and reduced water stress in cut roses. The results demonstrate the potential of SC as an alternative preservative in the cut rose flower industry.

Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
    Plant materials
    Pretreatment of cut flowers
    Measurements of morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics, and water relations
    Measurements of antibacterial activity
    Assessment of vase life
    Experiment design and data analysis
Results
    Effect of preservative solutions on vase life andsenescence of cut flowers
    Effect of preservative solutions on flower diameterand leaf brix
    Effect of preservative solutions on bacterialnumber and water relations
    Effect of preservative solutions on leaf chlorophyllfluorescence and chlorophyll content
Discussion
References

• Suong Tuyet Thi Ha(Department of Plant Biotechnology, Sejong University)
• Minjung Kwon(Department of Plant Biotechnology, Sejong University)
• Toan Khac Nguyen(Department of Plant Biotechnology, Sejong University)
• Jin-Hee Lim(Department of Plant Biotechnology, Sejong University) Corresponding author