Longer shelf-life shrubs and conifers in MA packs

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8 Sep 2009
Unit: Praktijkonderzoek Plant en Omgeving

 Packing shrubs and conifers without root ball into so-called Modified Atmosphere foil (MA) can prolong their shelf life in the distribution chain. This was found in new research by PPO Nursery Stock into the application of MA.

Research had already shown that MA foil improves the keeping quality of outdoor grown perennials. This time PPO investigated the use of MA for Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Columnaris', Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' and Prunus laurocerasus.

In the mail order business these crops are traditionally packed with bare roots in a damp cloth, and then in a plastic bag. Chamaecyparis dried out much slower in MA foil than in the traditional pack. Prunus remained vital for at least two weeks in MA foil whereas the aboveground parts of this crop in the traditional pack dried out within a few days.

MA foil did not yet improve the keeping quality of Fagus because the roots of these plants in this experiment had dried too much when they were packed with bare roots or in dryer peat dust.
PPO also investigated MA for the storage of cuttings of Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' and Rubus but this showed no differences in keeping quality.
Source: www.boomkwekerij.nl

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