Bacteria Growth and Sugar Leakage of Gerbera Cut Flower
MSc thesis abstract (submitted 18 December 2014):
Bacteria growth, vase life of gerbera cut flower, sugar leakage from healthy epidermal tissues and damaged (scratched) epidermal tissues were investigated in this thesis by separating epidermal tissues and cut surface in a special funnel setup due to considerable amount of sugars can be detected from the vase water of gerbera cut flower and the source for the sugar leakage is unclear.
Sugars leaked from healthy epidermal tissues are capable of supporting the bacteria growth to 109 CFU/ml which is equal to the capability of sugars leaked from a cut surface. Thus,although sugars leaked from the epidermal tissues take up a very small part of the total sugarleakage in the vase water of gerbera cut flower, the role it plays on the bacteria growth in the vase water is as much important as sugars leaked from the cut surface. And the role it plays on the bacteria growth has no significant relationship with whether the epidermal tissues are damaged or not.