Prolonged vase life by salicylic acid treatment and prediction of vase life using petal color senescence of cut lisianthus

This study investigated the effects of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.3, or 0.5 mM), treatment timing (vegetative or reproductive period), and cultivation methods (soil or hydroponic cultivation) on the vase life of four lisianthus cultivars after flower cutting. A 0.5 mM concentration of the SA application during the reproductive period resulted in the longest average vase life of 15.3 d for the Blue Picote cultivar after flower cutting. A colorimeter and a chlorophyll meter were used to observe and quantify petal color changes after cutting, and the color changes during the senescence stages are visualized using a three-dimensional color space. The three-dimensional visualization demonstrated the color senescence for each measurement period. Based on these data, we used automated machine learning algorithms to predict the vase longevity, and the predictive model showed a good accuracy. This model is expected to be widely used in the floricultural industry.