ASPECTS REGARDING THE ANATOMY OF THE STEM AND LIFETIME AS CUT FLOWERS OF SOME DAHLIAS CULTIVARS

Plants of the Dahlia genus are particularly valued for their wide variety of shapes and colors both as cultivated plants and as cut flowers thus increasing the interest for the introduction in the culture of cultivars with great decorative value and great resistance as cut flowers. The work presents anatomical aspects, but also particularities regarding the life span of cut flowers in preservation solutions for the cultivars 'Topmix Red', 'Hy Pimento', 'Babylon Red', 'Marble Ball' and 'Thomas Edison'. The objective of this study was to analyze dahlia varieties both from the anatomical point of view and the preservation of cut flowers in vases using different preservation solutions to establish a correlation between the diameter of xylem vessels and cut flower life. The diameter of the xylem vessels does not seem to influence the life span of the cut flowers, regardless of the solution used in the conditions of this experiment. The Quick dip and eZDose conservation solution increased the lifespan of the varieties studied compared to the other conservation solutions used.