Effect of postharvest handling procedures on cut Capsicum stems

- Stems of 'Rio Light Orange' ornamental pepper should be harvest when most fruits are pale orange.
- 'Rio Light Orange' ornamental peppers can be cold stored in water for up to 1 week and 'Cappa Round Red' for up to 2 weeks.
- Use of commercial hydrator was detrimental or had no effect on any of nine cultivars tested and is not recommended.
- Holding solution increased vase life of 'Black Pearl', 'Rooster' and 'Stromboli' and increased the number of days foliage remained acceptable for eight of nine cultivars.
- Vase life and quality of 'Rio Light Orange' and 'Cappa Round Red' ornamental peppers can be extended following proper postharvest handling procedures.

'Rio Light Orange' and 'Cappa Round Red' ornamental peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are attractive cultivars used as cut stems, but postharvest handling protocols need to be optimized. 'Rio Light Orange' stems harvested when most of the fruits were pale orange had the longest vase life, while harvest stage had no effect on vase life of 'Cappa Round Red'. Stems of both cultivars showed less incidence of wilted foliage during postharvest when stored in water. Cold storage was tolerated for up to 1 week for 'Rio Light Orange' and for up to 2 weeks for 'Cappa Round Red' for stems kept in water. These cultivars do not appear to be sensitive to ethylene and anti-ethylene agents had a minimal effect on postharvest characteristics of cut stems. Of nine Capsicum cultivars tested, the use of a holding solution had a positive effect on the vase life of 'Black Pearl', 'Rooster' and 'Stromboli' ornamental peppers and increased the number of days foliage remained acceptable for eight of the cultivars. However, use of a commercial hydrator either reduced (one cultivars) or had no effect (eight cultivars) on vase life. Vase life and quality of 'Rio Light Orange' and 'Cappa Round Red' ornamental peppers stems can be extended by following appropriate postharvest handling procedures and the use of a holding solution can have a beneficial effect on vase life and foliage quality of many additional cultivars of peppers tested in this study.