Postharvest Biology and Technology 23 (2001) 161 – 166 www.elsevier.com/locate/postharvbio Short communication Efficacy of inhibitors of ethylene binding in improvement of the postharvest characteristics of potted flowering plants Margrethe Serek a,b, *, Edward C. Sisler c a Department of Agricultural Sciences, Horticulture, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural Uniersity, Thoraldsensej 57, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark b Department of Horticulture, Floriculture, Uniersity of Hanoer, Herrenhaeuser Str. 2, 30 -419 Hannoer, Germany c Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State Uniersity, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA Received 15 December 2000; accepted 7 March 2001 Abstract Pre-treatment of potted plants of Campanula carpatica cultivars Dark Blue and Blue Clips and Schlumbergera truncata cultivar Dark Marie with the volatile ethylene binding inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) inhibited the effects of exogenous ethylene (bud abscission and wilting of flowers). In an ethylene-free simulated interior environment, display life of the 1-MCP treated plants was unaffected (Campanula ) or slightly greater (Schlumbergera ) than that of the controls, although not as good as that of plants pre-treated with the anionic silver thiosulfate complex (STS). Differences in effects of both blockers of ethylene binding sites are discussed. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: 1-Methylcyclopropene; 1-MCP; Bud abscission; Campanula carpatica ; Ethylene binding; Flower senescence; Schlum- bergera truncata ; Silver thiosulfate; STS Wu, 1992). Two commercially important crops, Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata ) and bellflower (Campanula carpatica ) have previously been reported as ethylene sensitive (Cameron and Reid, 1981; Serek and Reid, 1993; Sisler et al., 1999). Exogenously applied ethylene caused rapid and complete drop of flowers and buds of S. truncata and also wilting of flowers of C. carpat - ica. Flowers of both species produce endogenous ethylene when exposed to stress or during natural senescence processes (Cameron and Reid, 1981; Serek 1991; Serek and Reid, 1993). Ethylene 1. Introduction The quality and display life of potted flowering plants are often reduced by the effects of ethylene in the environment or physiological effects such as leaf drop, bud abortion and bud abscission, that are attributed to ethylene (Reid, 1985; Reid and * Corresponding author. Tel.: +45-36283406; fax: +45- 35283400. E-mail address: mse@kvl.dk (M. Serek). 0925-5214/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S0925-5214(01)00109-0