Flower senescence was studied in three cultivars of Chrysanthemum coronarium L.: Snowball White, Yellow Chandrama (standard type flowers) and Spray Button (spray type flowers).
Spray button flowers exhibited least respiration rate, less efflux of ions, minimum protease activity and less decline in fresh mass, relative water content and total soluble protein content with the progression of senescence.
The Snowball White flowers showed highest respiration rate, great efflux of ions, maximum protease activity, high activity of hydrolytic as well as proteolytic enzymes, and high decline in fresh mass, relative water content, and total soluble protein content.
Yellow Chandrama flowers showed responses similar to Snowball White flowers.