TY  - JOUR
AU  - Shahabi, Moazameh
AU  - Rastegar, Somayeh
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/14
TI  - Melatonin Mitigates Postharvest Enzymatic Browning and Preserves Quality in Cut Narcissus tazetta 'Shahla-e-Shiraz'
JO  - Plant Innovation Journal
T2  - Plant Innovation Journal
JF  - Plant Innovation Journal
VL  - 1
IS  - 2
SP  - 126
EP  - 137
DO  - 10.62762/PIJ.2026.660022
UR  - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/PIJ.2026.660022
KW  - browning
KW  - color change
KW  - cut flower
KW  - membrane stability
KW  - postharvest quality
AB  - Petal browning is the primary limiting factor compromising the postharvest quality of narcissus (Narcissus tazetta L.) cut flowers. This study investigated the effects of melatonin (0.25 and 0.50 mM, each in 2% sucrose), compared with a control (distilled water) and sucrose alone (2%), on color stability, browning development, water status, membrane integrity, and browning-related enzyme activities of cut narcissus flowers during vase life. Melatonin treatment reduced the total color change ($\Delta E$) and delayed the progression of petal browning throughout the vase period. The lowest polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities were observed in flowers treated with 0.25 mM melatonin. Furthermore, treatment with 0.25 mM melatonin resulted in higher relative fresh weight (RFW), relative water content (RWC), and membrane stability index (MSI) compared with untreated flowers. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that PC1, explaining 58% of the total variance, was positively correlated with quality parameters and negatively correlated with $\Delta E$ and browning, confirming the integrated protective role of melatonin. These findings demonstrate that melatonin treatment preserves the appearance quality of cut narcissus flowers by delaying senescence and the browning process, offering a promising and eco-friendly postharvest approach for maintaining the commercial value of cut flowers.
SN  - 3142-7596
PB  - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA  - English
ER  - 

@article{Shahabi2026Melatonin,
  author = {Moazameh Shahabi and Somayeh Rastegar},
  title = {Melatonin Mitigates Postharvest Enzymatic Browning and Preserves Quality in Cut Narcissus tazetta 'Shahla-e-Shiraz'},
  journal = {Plant Innovation Journal},
  year = {2026},
  volume = {1},
  number = {2},
  pages = {126-137},
  doi = {10.62762/PIJ.2026.660022},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/PIJ.2026.660022},
  abstract = {Petal browning is the primary limiting factor compromising the postharvest quality of narcissus (Narcissus tazetta L.) cut flowers. This study investigated the effects of melatonin (0.25 and 0.50 mM, each in 2\% sucrose), compared with a control (distilled water) and sucrose alone (2\%), on color stability, browning development, water status, membrane integrity, and browning-related enzyme activities of cut narcissus flowers during vase life. Melatonin treatment reduced the total color change (\$\Delta E\$) and delayed the progression of petal browning throughout the vase period. The lowest polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities were observed in flowers treated with 0.25 mM melatonin. Furthermore, treatment with 0.25 mM melatonin resulted in higher relative fresh weight (RFW), relative water content (RWC), and membrane stability index (MSI) compared with untreated flowers. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that PC1, explaining 58\% of the total variance, was positively correlated with quality parameters and negatively correlated with \$\Delta E\$ and browning, confirming the integrated protective role of melatonin. These findings demonstrate that melatonin treatment preserves the appearance quality of cut narcissus flowers by delaying senescence and the browning process, offering a promising and eco-friendly postharvest approach for maintaining the commercial value of cut flowers.},
  keywords = {browning, color change, cut flower, membrane stability, postharvest quality},
  issn = {3142-7596},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}