Preservatives with or without floral foam impact postharvest longevity of celosia (Celosia argentea L.) and tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.)

Floral foam, a phenol-formaldehyde base product, is gaining popularity as an essential component of modern floral designs. A study was conducted to scrutinise the effectiveness of vase preservatives with or without floral foam on postharvest longevity of celosia (Celosia argentea L. Cristata ‘Fire Chief’) and tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa ‘Single’). Results demonstrated significant differences among various tested vase solutions and floral foam. Celosia and tuberose kept without foam in vase solution containing Chrysal Clear Universal flower food depicted longest vase life (19.6 and 7.4 d), respectively. For celosia, the highest change in flower quality (8) was recorded in stems placed in 1% sucrose + 100 mg L-1 salicylic acid without foam, followed by stems kept in a vase solution of 1% sucrose + 150 mg L-1 citric acid with foam. Meanwhile, tuberose stems kept in Chrysal Clear Universal flower food solution exhibited the highest change in flower quality, followed by 1% sucrose + 4 mL L-1 lemon juice without foam. The highest bent neck percentage (100%) was recorded in stems kept in a solution of 1% sucrose + 100 mg L-1 salicylic acid and Chrysal Clear Universal flower food with or without foam, respectively. Chrysal Clear Universal flower food-treated stems without foam absorbed more water (275 and 285 mL), respectively. When kept without foam in vase solution. In summary, the overall impact of floral foam was not good in maintaining the quality of cut stems of celosia and tuberose; meanwhile, stems can be kept fresh for longer durations in distilled water for celosia and Chrysal Clear Universal flower food for tuberose without foam.