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Snapdragon Stem Tip Breakage as Related to Stem Lignification and Flower Color1


Breakage in the floret area of the stem which occurs during harvesting or post-harvest handling in commercially mature snapdragons was investigated. The point of breakage was not influenced by the number of open florets on the stem, provided many unopened buds remain at the apex. Breaking occurred lower on the stem in crops harvested during fall as opposed to summer months. The break point appears to be related to the end of the concentric column of safranin stainable, lignified xylem. Although not without exception, breakage also appears related to flower pigmentation in that anthocyanin (red) containing cultivars tend to break high whereas aurone (yellow) containing cultivars break low in the floret area. These factors suggest a competition for phenyl propanoid precursors which are consumed in both lignification and pigmentation.