Caracterização das Operações Pós-Colheita em Flores de Corte de Origem Temperada no Estado Ceará, Brasil.

This work aimed to characterize postharvest management for temperate cut flowers in the State of Ceará, Brazil. Growing areas were visited from Apri, 28th to May 14th of 2003 and producers were asked to answer questionnaires on harvest, packing, storage and transportation. The species involved were Aster, Gladiolus, Rose, Gerbera daisy and chrysanthemun. Data showed that flowers are harvested in the morning by transversal stem cuts in Gladiolus. Rose and Gerbera daisy, which were kept in water, meanwhile Aster and Chrysanthemun are kept at the bedside. They are their taken manually to the packing houses, except flowers that are taken in carts, where they are hydrated for a few hours At the packing houses, bunches are formed by size, quantity and weight of flowers, except for Chrysanthemun, which are bunched up at the field. Afterwards, stems are immersed in preserving or bactericide solutions and then cold stored (1-5°C and U.R.>90%). Cut stents are then air dried and packed in carton paper box (1.20x0.43x0.26m) and transported at 2-4°C and U.R.>90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]