Preservation of Ornamental Parts of Plant by Reducing Moisture Content

The foliage, branches, flowers, seed pods, grains, cones, nuts, berries, fruits etc. are commonly used for domestic purposes and their omnipresent leads to occupy their place in household materials. The moisture content in these materials limit their shelf life or/and vase life, and they do not persist for a long time purposes. Reducing moisture content results in the prolongation of longevity, quality and novelty thereby they are available around the year and fulfill the unavailability of off-season ornamental crops. The diversifications in tropical and subtropical regions provide an opportunity to select and preserve a wide range of plant materials for various purposes that open great opportunities for jobs for rural as well as urban people in drying industries. The different drying techniques viz. air drying, press drying, oven drying, glycerine drying, freeze drying, embedded drying, etc. applied in the preparation of decorative floral crafts items like cards, floral segments, wall hangings, landscapes, calendars, potpourris, etc. for various purposes. Thus, it is the technique to adopt without special degree, expertization and costly raw materials.