367 Influence of Fertilization on the Post-harvest Durability of Roses in Integrated Production System M.A. Lessa, E.F.A. Almeida, S.N. Reis, S.S. Barbosa and S.G. Resende Núcleo Tecnológico Epamig Floricultura Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais (EPAMIG) São João Del Rei, Minas Gerais Brazil D.A. Nogueira Instituto de Ciências Exatas Universidade Federal de Alfenas Alfenas, Minas Gerais Brazil Keywords: green manure, vase life, chemical fertilizer, sustainability, Calopogonium mucunoides, cut flowers Abstract Efficiency in the production process of cut flowers is essential to increase the post-harvest durability. The fertilizer management can influence the vase life of cut flowers. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the post-harvest durability of roses grown in four chemical fertilizer percentages (25, 50, 75 and 100%) versus presence and absence of green manure (Calopogonium mucunoides) intercropped with the rose bush. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory of plant science of the Epamig Floriculture Technology Center of São João del Rei, Minas Gerais (Brazil). Flower stalks of ‘Carolla’ rose were harvested, conditioned in plastic containers with distilled water and kept at room temperature (22 to 25°C). The experimental design was completely randomized with eight treatments, four replicates and three flower stalks per plot. The assessments were performed every two days. It was observed that the flower stalks grown intercropped with green manure had higher fresh weight loss (6.47 g) compared with flower stalks grown without green manure (4.21 g). No significant difference between flower stalks grown under different treatments for variable vase life was observed. The flower stalks showed excellent quality, and the opening of petals was verified by the increased diameter of the flower bud. On the first day of evaluation, the buds had an average diameter of 29.82 mm, showing a diameter of 66.78 mm in the final evaluation. Intercropping rose bush with green manure (Calopogonio muconoides) adversely affected the post-harvest quality of roses, forming less turgid flower stalks. INTRODUCTION Roses are among the oldest flowers in cultivation around the world, especially in the segment of fresh cut flowers (Martins et al., 2009), due to their wide use in various forms of ornamentation. Efficiency in the production process of cut flowers is essential for the production to be profitable, because the final product quality is not determined at harvest moment, but in other cultivation stages. To ensure good post-harvest quality, all aspects of production must be observed, such as: selection of high-quality seedlings, selection of the most suitable cultivars for the region, climatic conditions, frequency and amount of fertilizer and irrigation, among others. The procedures involving the post-harvest period aim to maintain the quality of highly perishable products during transport and marketing process, especially cut flowers. These procedures are essential, because the consumer market requires flowers with excellent state of preservation and freshness characteristics similar to the moment in which they were harvested (Lamas, 2002). However, the observed post-harvest losses are quite significant due to the sensitivity of flowers, since in their tissues, especially petals, there is no sufficient protection of the cuticle and, therefore, they are exposed to water loss. Besides not having reserve material to delay the senescence process, flowers are also susceptible to mechanical damage during harvest, storage or distribution (Rudnicki et al., Proc. of the Int. Conf. on Quality Management in Supply Chains of Ornamentals – QMSCO2012 Eds.: S. Kanlayanarat et al. Acta Hort. 970, ISHS 2013