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Abstract
Abstract:
This study was carried out during the two successive seasons 2004 and 2005 on Ficus benjamina foliage plant. The plants were obtained from Agricultural Research Center, Giza. Average start up plant heights were 60 cms, cultivated in 20 were grown at 20 0C and 50-60 % relative humidity under natural day light and began watered as needed. Uniform plants were used for the studied treatments. The studied plants were exposed to two types of treatments; physical and chemical treatments. Physical treatments were light intensity, storage temperature and storage period. whereas, the chemical treatments were spraying plants with ethanol extracts from three different sources; ginger (Zinigber officinalis Rose.), turmeric (Corcuma longa), and yeast (Saccharomyces cervisea). Plants were acclimatized through a pretreatment of light intensity at 20, 40 and 80 % from normal light for 10 days. Then plants were stored at 5 0C and 10 0C for 1, 2 or 3 weeks.
The most important results could be summarized as follows:
1. Ficus benjamina plants pretreated with 80 % light intensity and stored for one week at 5 0C showed higher increase in visual quality degree percentage and healthy remaining leaves.
2. Pretreating plants with 20, 40 and 80 % light intensities prevented any chilling effects on plant leaves when stored at either at 5 0C or 10 0C for 1-3 weeks.
3. Pretreated plants wit 80 % light intensity showed higher contents of chlorophylls a, b and carotenoides.
4. Spraying Ficus benjamina plants with ethanolic extracts of turmeric, ginger and yeast increased the visual quality degree.
5. Spraying Ficus benjamina plants with ethanolic extracts of turmeric, ginger and yeast had no significant differences in the healthy remaining leaves.
6. Spraying Ficus benjamina plants with ethanolic extracts of turmeric, ginger and yeast had significant effect on dark storage plants for a long time (three weeks under 5 0C or 10 0C).
Key words: Ficus benjamina - Pot plants - Zingber officinalis - Curcuma longa - Saccharomyces cervisea - Light intensities - Storage temperature - Storage period - Quality of degree.