Cut Foliage in the Floriculture Industry: Crop Diversification, Production Determinants, Postharvest Physiology, Supply-chain Management and Research Priorities

Abstract

Cut foliage is a technically diverse but comparatively under-synthesised component of the floriculture industry. Leaves, fronds, phyllodes, cladodes and leafy shoots are traded as line, mass, filler and textural materials, yet their production and postharvest biology are often managed by practices derived from cut flowers. This critical narrative review evaluates the evidence linking crop choice, preharvest environment, harvest maturity, water relations, senescence, ethylene responses, preservative treatments, cold storage and packaging with the marketable life of cut foliage. Literature published from 1 January 1980 to 13 July 2026 was considered, with earlier material retained only when conceptually necessary. The evidence shows that cut foliage cannot be treated as a single physiological class. Water deficit and declining hydraulic conductance dominate failure in several woody and fern taxa, whereas chlorophyll loss, membrane deterioration or organ abscission can be more important in others. The mechanistic literature on Acacia holosericea demonstrates that wound-induced xylem occlusion may be more important than microbial blockage, while studies of Nephrolepis cordifolia show that dehydration can accelerate ethylene-mediated pinna abscission. Cytokinins, gibberellins, copper ions, nano-silver formulations, polyamines, melatonin and selected essential oils have each extended longevity in particular species, but responses are strongly concentration-, formulation- and taxon-dependent. Standard sucrose-hydroxyquinoline preservatives developed for cut flowers can be neutral or detrimental to foliage. Recent modified-atmosphere and active-packaging studies indicate substantial potential to stabilise water status and preserve quality during long distribution, but evidence remains limited to a small number of species and commercial simulations. The most defensible industry strategy is therefore a species-specific production-to-market protocol based on the dominant failure mechanism, rather than a universal preservative recipe. Future work should prioritise multi-location production trials, harmonised quality endpoints, commercial-chain validation, residue and worker-safety assessment, and foliage-specific environmental life-cycle evidence.