Methyl Jasmonate Treatment Delays Flower Opening and Petal Wilting of Three Cut Rose Cultivars

Abstract Developing a method for the control of cut flower opening and improvement of cut flower quality is important to meet consumer demand. In this study, we investigated the effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on flower opening of three rose cultivars: ‘Red Star,’ ‘Princes Meg,’ and ‘Madrid’. Shoot bases of cut roses were immersed in water solutions containing 100- or 1000-μM MeJA in addition to 2% weight/volume (w/v) sucrose and 0.02% w/v 8-hydroxyquinoline monohydrate. Subsequently, the vase life, flower opening, petal wilting, petal weight, water uptake, and water evaporation were measured. Flower opening of all three cultivars was clearly delayed following the treatment with MeJA, resulting in prolonged vase life compared with control. In addition, flower wilting was suppressed in all cultivars. Moreover, 7 days following treatment, the petal fresh weight was maintained high in the ‘Red Star’ and ‘Princes Meg’ cultivars. However, there was no significant difference in the ‘Madrid’ cultivar versus control. In all three cultivars, there was a minimal difference in the total amount of water uptake and evaporation. Thus, it is suggested that the total amount of water uptake and evaporation have limited relevance to the changes in the relative fresh weight of cut roses and petal fresh weight observed following treatments. Despite the difference in the sensitivity of the rose cultivars to treatment with MeJA, we conclude that MeJA has high potential as a quality retention agent for cut roses.