Other plant hormones have also been studied, such as ABA, which is considered to be a natural promoter of flower senescence ( Reid and Chen, 2007). Research studies have reported that ethylene promoted flower opening and senescence and shorted the vase life of flowers in a wide range of plant species alternatively, 1-MCP has been used in prolonging cut flower vase life, and is now widely used commercially during transport ( Scariot et al., 2014). It is known that plant hormones are implicated in the regulation of flower senescence, and may have a dramatic effect on the vase life of cut flowers. However, the vase life of cut wintersweet flowers is relatively short, and this has hindered the further expansion of commercial demand. The shrub has also been introduced into Korea, Japan, Europe, America, and Australia ( Zhang and Liu, 1998). Its unique flowering time and strong fragrance make it one of the most popular ornamental plants in China it is appreciated as pot plants and cut flowers, and it has a high ornamental and economic value. Wintersweet is a rare ornamental species and has over a thousand-year history of cultivation as its name indicates, it blooms particularly in winter from late November to March in central, southern, and south-western China. praecox) belongs to the Calycantaceae family and is a 2.5- to 3.0-m tall deciduous shrub native to China. Keywords: ethylene abscisic acid gibberellic acid cytokinins vase life flower break strength senescence-related gene 6-BA, GA 3, or ABA had no significant effect on flower opening and senescence of wintersweet. ZT promoted flower opening and increased vase life by 1.6 days.

Ethylene dramatically induced the expression of the CpSRG1 gene, while 1-MCP suppressed it. 1-MCP slowed opening, delayed senescence, and prolonged vase life by 2.6 days. It also decreased flower break strength, indicating the induction of abscission. Ethylene treatment accelerated flower opening and senescence, decreasing vase life by 2.1 days. The expression pattern of CpSRG1, a senescence-related gene, was analyzed.

In addition, abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA 3), two cytokinins, 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), and zeatin (ZT) were also applied. We applied ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP an ethylene action inhibitor) to test the role of ethylene in flower opening and senescence. The vase life of fresh cut flowers is 8–9 days. Wintersweet ( Chimonanthus praecox) is a woody garden plant with fragrant flowers, which blooms in deep winter.

Wintersweet by E. Davies