Effect of storage in packaging with oxygen absorbers on the quality of cut gladiolus ‘Princess Summer Yellow’ spikes

• Oxygen absorbers brought O2 to a low level in plastic bags during storage.
• Vase life of spikes was longer after storage when packaged with oxygen absorbers.
• Floret openings increased slowly after storage in packaging with oxygen absorbers.
• Ethylene produced by oxygen absorbers induced ethylene production from the spikes.
• Pretreatment with STS improved floret opening after storage.

Polypropylene film packaging combined with oxygen absorbers was investigated for maintaining the quality of cut gladiolus ‘Princess Summer Yellow’ spikes after storage for 6 d. Both the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations within the polypropylene bags were lower with oxygen absorbers compared to packaging only. In packaging with oxygen absorbers, the number of florets that opened and wilted increased more slowly, and the vase life of cut spikes was longer than those in only packaging after storage at 15 °C or 20 °C. Both oxygen absorbers and cut gladiolus spikes themselves produced ethylene during storage. The ethylene concentration in the plastic bags tended to be high when they contained two oxygen absorbers, and low after pretreatment with silver thiosulfate complex (STS). Treatment with STS before packaging improved the floret opening ratio per spike after storage at 15 °C. These results suggest that plastic film packaging with oxygen absorbers is an easy way to decrease the oxygen concentration and maintain the quality of cut gladiolus spikes, and that pretreatment with STS improves bud opening after suboptimal temperature storage.