Effect of salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate on flower durability and photosynthesis indices of rose cut flowers

This study aimed to compare the effects of salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate on the durability of cut flower of Grand prix rose by examining some photosynthesis indices in April 2012. For this purpose, 235 branches of red rose of the Grand Prix variety were placed in pots containing 1 liter of 2% sucrose in a cold room at a temperature of 8°C, humidity of 55%, and light of 260 lux, and were sprayed once a week for a month with different concentrations of salicylic acid including 2-10, 3-10, 4ˉ10, and 5ˉ10 M and methyl jasmonate 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 microM. All 11 treatments were performed in a factorial design with 3 replications. The measured factors included the appearance factors (duration of flowers and leaves), chlorophyll a, b and soluble sugars. The results of the experiment showed that the appearance factor of flowers and leaves was optimal in the 3-10 M salicylic acid treatment compared to other treatments and the control. Soluble sugars and chlorophyll a and b also increased in the 3-10 M salicylic acid treatment compared to the control and other concentrations of salicylic acid. On the other hand, based on the results of the treatment with methyl jasmonate, an increase in the appearance factor of flowers and leaves as well as soluble sugars was observed in the 100 μM treatment, and chlorophyll a also showed a significant increase in all treatments compared to the control.