FRESH CUT FLOWERS: IDENTIFICATION, QUALITY COMPONENTS AND EXPERTISES

Abstract

Abstract. The article analyzes the current state of the results of commodity research on fresh cut flowers, signs of their possible commercial identification, components of quality formation and expertise, factors that affect the preservation of properties and decorativeness. It is shown that over the past several dozen years, the market of fresh cut flowers has gained global scale. The influence of phenological phases in the annual cycle of plant development, which is characterized by clearly expressed external changes in morphological signs of vegetation, budding, flowering, fruiting, relative calm, and dying, is considered. The phases of the appearance of above-ground organs of vegetative recovery, the duration of plant life (vegetation period), the duration of growth and flowering are distinguished. Attention is paid to the preservation of the habitus: a life form inherent in nature. It is shown that the highest assessment of the decorativeness of a particular flower culture is its use after cutting for sale in the form of bouquet compositions. Cut flowers should have high decorative properties. It is this indicator that is decisive during the sale of flower products. When choosing types of plants as decorative, the presence of a flower plays an important role. At the same time, the properties of the flower itself are important – size, shape, color, smell, preservation of the shape of the inflorescence after flowering, etc. Morphological signs of distinguishing, homogeneity and stability of fresh cut flowers are considered. Identification features of rose varieties were analyzed in detail, based on the following main known features. The grouping of external features of a cut flower according to quality criteria is proposed, such as: freshness, size (the size of the flower itself, the number of flowers on the stem, the duration of the "standing" of the flowers in the vase, the absence of traces of diseases or damage by pests). An analysis of the difficulties faced by flower enterprises for the storage of their products is presented, while overcoming such difficulties is a key factor affecting the quality and long-term freshness of cut flowers. It has been proven that the lifetime of a cut fresh flower is determined by the rates of petal aging, which occurs after physiological maturity and leads to endogenously regulated cell death. It is concluded that flower petals are essentially leaf-derived, and a key feature of the aging of these organs is the recycling of nutrients.