Science for strengthening family flower farms

The region of La Plata, Argentina, has some 300 family farms producing flowers. The strongly perishable nature of products constitutes one of the biggest challenges that farmers must face. In this sense, an effective scientific intervention in the peri-urban productive environment can generate a positive impact on the settlement of the rural population. Based on demands gathered from a group of producers and a previous exploration of technologies, the present work aimed to find alternatives to extend the shelf life of cut flowers, using LED lighting sources and gibberellic acid on stems of Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria sp.) and lily (Lilium sp.), two regionally grown species highly susceptible to postharvest deterioration, which implies loss of turgor in leaves and tepals, as well as premature leaf yellowing and falling of tepals. Light treatment was the best option for postharvest conservation. After the results were shown at the regional flower market, the technologies were successfully adopted by a group of producers. However, the implementation of these technologies is still incipient, and, the postharvest storage of flowers still imposes many limitations on the development of regional flower producers. Developing public policies focusing on family farming will also be important to achieve this goal.