The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut Flowers

Perennial flax (Linum spp.) is a new crop under domestication at the University of Minnesota. It is being bred simultaneously for herbaceous perennial and cut flower production, as well as fiber, oil seed, and pollinator (ecosystem) services. Perennial flax is prized for its blue flowers, which are...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Julia Stuenkel, Neil O. Anderson, Elizabeth Goodman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) 2025-03-01
Series:HortTechnology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/35/2/article-p223.xml
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849395139429007360
author Julia Stuenkel
Neil O. Anderson
Elizabeth Goodman
author_facet Julia Stuenkel
Neil O. Anderson
Elizabeth Goodman
author_sort Julia Stuenkel
collection DOAJ
description Perennial flax (Linum spp.) is a new crop under domestication at the University of Minnesota. It is being bred simultaneously for herbaceous perennial and cut flower production, as well as fiber, oil seed, and pollinator (ecosystem) services. Perennial flax is prized for its blue flowers, which are a rarity in the floriculture industry. Superior genotypes have been selected with high levels of postharvest vase life for use as a “filler” cut flower in floral designing. For flax to be a new specialty cut flower crop in floral designs, it must be amenable for use in floral foam, a classic “mechanic” used to hold flowers in place. However, the thin stems predicate careful insertion into design mechanics to avoid breakage. The research objective of this study was to determine single-stem insertion effects (stem bending) for three stem lengths (10, 16.25, and 22.5 cm) in Oasis® floral foam and testing two preservative solutions (±FloraLife®). Genotypes and solution types were significant on most measured factors but stem length was an insignificant effect for most genotypes and treatments. Despite perennial flax’s thinner stems, as a filler flower, it can be used in standard floral foam which is the most commonly used mechanic in floral designs. Three genotypes (CF10, CF3, and CF5) had the best postharvest life, which can serve as the basis for future plant breeding efforts to maximize postharvest longevity of this new cut flower crop.
format Article
id doaj-art-f72a92ea03e1432991f6ecc89e59fa40
institution Kabale University
issn 1943-7714
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)
record_format Article
series HortTechnology
spelling doaj-art-f72a92ea03e1432991f6ecc89e59fa402025-08-20T03:39:44ZengAmerican Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)HortTechnology1943-77142025-03-01352https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05598-25The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut FlowersJulia Stuenkel0Neil O. Anderson1Elizabeth Goodman2Department of Horticultural Science, University of MinnesotaDepartment of Horticultural Science, University of MinnesotaDepartment of Horticultural Science, University of MinnesotaPerennial flax (Linum spp.) is a new crop under domestication at the University of Minnesota. It is being bred simultaneously for herbaceous perennial and cut flower production, as well as fiber, oil seed, and pollinator (ecosystem) services. Perennial flax is prized for its blue flowers, which are a rarity in the floriculture industry. Superior genotypes have been selected with high levels of postharvest vase life for use as a “filler” cut flower in floral designing. For flax to be a new specialty cut flower crop in floral designs, it must be amenable for use in floral foam, a classic “mechanic” used to hold flowers in place. However, the thin stems predicate careful insertion into design mechanics to avoid breakage. The research objective of this study was to determine single-stem insertion effects (stem bending) for three stem lengths (10, 16.25, and 22.5 cm) in Oasis® floral foam and testing two preservative solutions (±FloraLife®). Genotypes and solution types were significant on most measured factors but stem length was an insignificant effect for most genotypes and treatments. Despite perennial flax’s thinner stems, as a filler flower, it can be used in standard floral foam which is the most commonly used mechanic in floral designs. Three genotypes (CF10, CF3, and CF5) had the best postharvest life, which can serve as the basis for future plant breeding efforts to maximize postharvest longevity of this new cut flower crop.https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/35/2/article-p223.xmlfloral preservativelinum austriacumlinum lewisiilinum perennestem lengthvase life
spellingShingle Julia Stuenkel
Neil O. Anderson
Elizabeth Goodman
The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut Flowers
HortTechnology
floral preservative
linum austriacum
linum lewisii
linum perenne
stem length
vase life
title The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut Flowers
title_full The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut Flowers
title_fullStr The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut Flowers
title_full_unstemmed The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut Flowers
title_short The Effect of Oasis® Floral Foam on the Postharvest Performance of Perennial Flax Cut Flowers
title_sort effect of oasis r floral foam on the postharvest performance of perennial flax cut flowers
topic floral preservative
linum austriacum
linum lewisii
linum perenne
stem length
vase life
url https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/35/2/article-p223.xml
work_keys_str_mv AT juliastuenkel theeffectofoasisfloralfoamonthepostharvestperformanceofperennialflaxcutflowers
AT neiloanderson theeffectofoasisfloralfoamonthepostharvestperformanceofperennialflaxcutflowers
AT elizabethgoodman theeffectofoasisfloralfoamonthepostharvestperformanceofperennialflaxcutflowers
AT juliastuenkel effectofoasisfloralfoamonthepostharvestperformanceofperennialflaxcutflowers
AT neiloanderson effectofoasisfloralfoamonthepostharvestperformanceofperennialflaxcutflowers
AT elizabethgoodman effectofoasisfloralfoamonthepostharvestperformanceofperennialflaxcutflowers