Post-production Growth and Quality of Echeveria agavoides and Echeveria elegans Treated with Artificial Coloring

This study aimed to evaluate the growth and commercial quality of two species of Echeveria plants after the surface of their leaves were treated with artificial dyes. The goal of the experiment was to show that the three main products and processes used for artificial coloring of potted plants by Brazilian nurseries, subject to inspection and quality control for trade purposes, are harmless to the plants and do not impair their growth or market quality. The study is justified by the need to offer safe and scientifically guaranteed indicators for consumers who are concerned about the effects of interventions on plants. Three experiments, with three treatments each, were carried out simultaneously, according to the most frequent artificial coloring products and processes in Brazil. The samples were collected directly from the producers that supply them to the market and composed of young plants, conducted in 11 cm diameter pot and filled with identical commercial substrates for each producer. The plants were kept in the laboratory for 90 days and exposed to lighting of 1,000 lux in alternating cycles of 12 hours light (from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and 12 hours of dark (from 6:01 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.). The temperature was kept at 22ºC with a tolerance of ± 1ºC and the relative humidity was at 60± 5%. Conclusively, all experiments showed that the interventions were harmless to the plants, and that the new leaves continue to be produced with all the natural characteristics of the species.