Role of Nitric Oxide Donor Compound to Extend the Vase Life of Lilium Cut Flower

Nitric oxide is small diffusible and ubiquitous gaseous bioactive molecule and plays a variety of physiological and developmental roles in plants. The research on the application of NO to postharvest preservation of flowers and fruits shows great promise in recent years. However, the physiological mechanism of exogenous NO to affect cut flowers is not very clear. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to study the effect of exogenous NO on the vase life of LA –hybrid cv. Eyeliner. In the present study, Sodium nitroprussiate (SNP) was used as the NO donor and methylene blue (MB-1) was used as its scavenger. We evaluated the effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on vase life and increase of fresh weight of cut lilium flowers. The results showed that exogenous NO could significantly extend the vase life of cut lilium flowers and markedly increase fresh mass. Moreover, the results indicated that MB-1 had the ability to reverse the active effects of NO on different physiological indexes. Therefore, the vase life of cut lilium flowers was markedly extended by SNP treatment.