Melatonin Treatment Delays the Senescence of Cut Flowers of “Diguan” Tree Peony by Affecting Water Balance and Physiological Properties
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Plant Materials and Treatments
2.2. Analyzed Variables
2.2.1. Morphological Observation and Vase Life Determination
2.2.2. Relative Flower Diameter
2.2.3. Fresh Weight of Flowering Branches
2.2.4. Water Balance Value
2.2.5. Determination of the Soluble Protein Content and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities During the Vase Period
2.3. Data Processing and Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Melatonin Treatments at Different Concentrations Significantly Enhance the Vase Life of Cut Flowers of “Diguan” and Effectively Delay Petal Abscission
3.2. Melatonin Treatments at Varying Concentrations Promote a Significant Relative Increase in the Diameter of Cut Flowers
3.3. Melatonin Treatments at Varying Concentrations Exert a Significant Influence on the Peak Relative Fresh Weight of Flowering Branches
3.4. Melatonin at Different Concentrations Affects the Water Balance and Water Retention Capacity of Cut Flowers
3.5. The Addition of 0.4 mg·L−1 Melatonin Increases the Soluble Protein Content in Cut Tree Peony Flowers
3.6. The Addition of 0.4 mg·L−1 Melatonin Resulted in the Optimal Peroxidase (POD) Activity in Cut Flowers
3.7. The Addition of 0.4 mg·L−1 Melatonin Enhances the Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) Activity in Cut Flowers of the “Diguan” Tree Peony Variety
3.8. The Addition of 0.4 mg·L−1 Melatonin Enhances the Catalase (CAT) Activity in Cut Flowers of the “Diguan” Tree Peony Variety, and This Activity Is Higher than That of the CK1
3.9. Analysis of Correlations Among the Physiological Indices
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Wu, M.; Zhang, P.; Sun, Y.; Shang, W.; Shi, L.; Yu, S.; He, S.; Song, Y.; Wang, Z. Melatonin Treatment Delays the Senescence of Cut Flowers of “Diguan” Tree Peony by Affecting Water Balance and Physiological Properties. Horticulturae 2025, 11, 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11020181
Wu M, Zhang P, Sun Y, Shang W, Shi L, Yu S, He S, Song Y, Wang Z. Melatonin Treatment Delays the Senescence of Cut Flowers of “Diguan” Tree Peony by Affecting Water Balance and Physiological Properties. Horticulturae. 2025; 11(2):181. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11020181
Chicago/Turabian StyleWu, Mengdi, Peidong Zhang, Yuke Sun, Wenqian Shang, Liyun Shi, Shuiyan Yu, Songlin He, Yinglong Song, and Zheng Wang. 2025. "Melatonin Treatment Delays the Senescence of Cut Flowers of “Diguan” Tree Peony by Affecting Water Balance and Physiological Properties" Horticulturae 11, no. 2: 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11020181
APA StyleWu, M., Zhang, P., Sun, Y., Shang, W., Shi, L., Yu, S., He, S., Song, Y., & Wang, Z. (2025). Melatonin Treatment Delays the Senescence of Cut Flowers of “Diguan” Tree Peony by Affecting Water Balance and Physiological Properties. Horticulturae, 11(2), 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11020181