Testing vase life and quality of cut flowers and ornamental crops
The benefits
In short- Independent vase and shelf life testing that meets international standards
- Validated insights into vase life in various conditions
- Botrytis monitoring
- Transpiration and stomatal analysis
- Confidential advice for process optimisation and product improvement
A long vase life of flowers is key to customer satisfaction and repeat sales. WUR independently tests your product’s vase and shelf life in advanced post-harvest facilities, following international quality and testing standards.
About this service
A long vase life is essential for consumer satisfaction and repeat sales. Many supermarkets even guarantee a minimum shelf life of seven days. Wageningen Plant Research offers advanced post-harvest testing facilities that comply with international standards, where flowers and plants are objectively evaluated for vase life and overall quality.
We study the influence of key factors such as variety, cultivation methods, climate, season, harvest timing and post-harvest treatments, including transport. This gives you clear insight into what affects vase life and customer satisfaction—whether your flowers are grown in the Netherlands or abroad.
We also offer:
- Specialised Botrytis monitoring – one of the main causes of flower losses – using air samplers, indicator plates and incubation tests under high humidity. This approach also enables comparison of the effectiveness of crop protection products and varietal susceptibility to Botrytis.
- Analysis of transpiration behaviour and stomatal density to help prevent wilting and turgor loss caused by poor water uptake or excessive evaporation.
Get in touch with our expert
Do you have a question about vase life testing for ornamentals? Contact our expert.
drs. N (Nieves) Garcia Victoria
Scientific researcher ornamental horticulture
