Pretreatment for 6 h with low concentrations of I-MCP (1-Methylcyclopropene, formerly designated as SIS-X), a
cyclic ethylene analog, inhibits the normal wilting response of cut carnations exposed continuously to 0.4 ~1.1~’
ethylene. The response to 1 -MCP was a function of treatment concentration and time. Treatment with 1 -MCP was as
effective in inhibiting ethylene effects as treatment with the anionic silver thiosulfate complex (STS), the standard
commercial treatment. Other ethylene-sensitive cut flowers responded similarly to carnations. In the presence of 1
~1.1~ I ethylene, the vase life of 1 -MCP-treated flowers was up to 4 times that of the controls.