Flowering or foliage potted plants are ornamental items usually grown in greenhouses under optimal
growing conditions. Cultivation in protected environments allows for rapid growth and high quality
characteristics. When plants reach the desired commercial size they can be transferred to hardening
greenhouses or directly sent to the distribution chain. The growing and post-production conditions such
as storage and transportation can have very deleterious effects on the ornamental quality of plants.
The major post-production disorders are bud and flower abscission in flowering potted plants or leaf
abscission or yellowing in foliage potted plants. On the other hand, the ornamental quality of potted
plants is extremely important and depends on the number and colour of flowers or leaves, flower, leaf
and plant longevity. The presence of flowers on flowering potted plants depends on flower longevity
and turnover. The colour and size of leaves of foliage potted plants is linked to pre- and post-production
environmental conditions. The post-production quality losses of flowering potted plants can be mainly
ascribed to natural flower senescence. This phenomenon is highly regulated by plant hormones such
as ethylene and abscisic acid, but the post-production environment can dramatically influence plant
hormone equilibrium. Quality losses of foliage potted plants are mainly due to leaf senescence usually
associated with inadequate acclimatization from the production area to the post-production chain.