REALISTIC ABIOTIC AND MECHANICAL STRESS FACTORS LIMITING PRE- AND POST-HARVEST QUALITY OF ROSE, CHRYSANTHEMUM, CARNATION, AND GERBERA: A COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Rose (Rosa hybrida L.), chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) and gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus ex Hook. f.) are grown almost exclusively under protected cultivation, where the dominant stress factors are greenhouse heat accumulation, irrigation water salinity, high-relative-humidity-induced stomatal dysfunction and mechanical injury during harvesting, bunching and transport. This review compares the physiological responses of the four species to these production-relevant stress factors, with particular emphasis on species-specific differences that determine cultivar choice and management practice. Rose and chrysanthemum show the strongest antioxidant enzyme induction and osmotic adjustment under salinity and heat, making them comparatively more tolerant of variable greenhouse conditions. Carnation possesses a distinct post-harvest advantage through polyamine-mediated suppression of ethylene biosynthesis, which is directly relevant to its tolerance of handling and transport stress. Gerbera is the most sensitive of the four species, showing pronounced stomatal malfunction under high relative humidity, severe photoinhibition under heat and high light and well-documented susceptibility to stem bending caused by water stress during the post-harvest period. This review concludes that comparative physiological data should guide cultivar selection, greenhouse climate management and handling protocols for these four major cut flower crops.