After aeration, these flower stems were evaluated for the damage
index (DI) following the modified procedures described by
Weller and Beckett (2000b). Three bunches (10 stems) were chosen
for each trial, and each bunch was scored out of 10, where: 1, no
damage observed; 4, upper damage limit for sale; 5, damaged (not saleable); 8, significant damage; and 10, totally destroyed. Mean values higher than 1.0 represented damage due to fumigation, whereas values less than or equal to 1.0 indicate that fumigation did not damage the flowers. The upper limit for sale was defined as damage restricted to leaf softening and not saleable was defined as discoloration of bract tips and dullness of flower color in addition to leaf softening.