Shimon Meir Ph.D.

Email:	shimonm@volcani.agri.gov.il
Tel:	+972-3-9683667
Fax:	+972-3-9683787

Institute for Technology & Storage of Agricultural Products
Dept. of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce
Agricultural Research Organization,
The Volcani Center,
P.O.Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel

Research Interests

Postharvest physiology of ornamentals, including cut flowers and flowering or potted green plants.
Controlled atmosphere storage and modified atmosphere packaging of cut flowers.
Application of plant growth regulators to solve postharvest problems of senescence, abscission, water-balance, chilling-injury, wilting, gravitropic bending and rooting in cut flowers (new crops) and flowering potted plants.
Mode of action of plant growth regulators (auxin, ethylene, methyl jasmonate, benzyladenine) in ornamental systems - physiological and molecular aspects.
Abscission of leaves and flowers - physiological and molecular aspects.

Recent Publications

Meir, S., Ronen, R., Lurie, S. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (1997). Assessment of chilling injury progress during storage: Chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of chilling-susceptible and triazole-induced chilling tolerant basil leaves. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 10: 213-220.
Huang, F-Y.*, Philosoph-Hadas, S.*, Meir, S., Callaham, D.A., Sabato, R., Zelcer, A. and Hepler, P.K. (1997). Increases in cytosolic calcium in parsley mesophyll cells correlate with leaf senescence. Plant Physiol. 115: 51-60.
Meir, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Droby, S., Reuveni, Y., Horev, B., Davidson, H. and Stav, D. (1997). Treatments for improving water balance of cut wax flowers exported to Japan under unfavorable transport conditions. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 7: 56-61. (In Hebrew).
Droby, S., Meir, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Horev, B., Reuveni, Y. and Stav, D. (1997).
Treatments for reducing decay and abscission in cut wax flowers exported under unfavorable transport conditions. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 8: 60-62, 86. (In Hebrew).
Meir, S., Reuveni, Y., Davidson, H. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (1998). Commercial application of postharvest gibberellin treatments for improving quality of pelargonium cuttings during transport. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 7: 67-68. (In Hebrew).
Meir, S., Reuveni, Y., Rosenberger, I., Manor, Y. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (1998).
Improving quality of limonium beltleard cut flowers by pulsing treatments with floral preservatives and sucrose. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 10: 67-71,86. (In Hebrew).
Meir, S.*, Droby, S.*, Davidson, H., Alsevia, S., Cohen, L., Horev, B. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (1998). Suppression of Botrytis blight in cut rose flowers induced by postharvest application of methyl jasmonate. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 13: 235-243.
Friedman, H., Meir, S., Rosenberger, I., Halevy, A.H., Kaufman, P.B. and Philosoph- Hadas, S. (1998). Inhibition of the gravitropic response of snapdragon spikes by the calcium channel blocker lanthanum chloride. Plant Physiol. 118: 483-392.
Droby, S., Porat, R., Cohen, L., Weiss, B., Shapiro, B., Philosoph-Hadas, S. and
Meir, S. (1999). Suppression green mold decay in grapefruit with postharvest jasmonate application. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 124(2): 184-188.
Michaeli, R., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Riov, J. and Meir, S. (1999). Chilling-induced leaf abscission of Ixora coccinea plants. I. Induction by oxidative stress via increased sensitivity to ethylene. Physiol. Plant. 107: 166-173.
Michaeli, R., Riov, J., Philosoph-Hadas, S. and Meir, S. (1999). Chilling-induced leaf abscission of Ixora coccinea plants. II. Alteration of auxin economy by oxidative stress. Physiol. Plant. 107: 174-180.
Michaeli, R, Philosoph-Hadas S, Riov, J. and Meir S. (1999). Role of ethylene sensitivity in mediating the chilling-induced leaf abscission of ixora plants. In: Biology and Biotechnology of the Plant Hormone Ethylene II (A.K. Kanellis, C. Chang, H. Klee, A.B. Bleecker, J.C. Pech and D. Grierson, eds.), pp. 19-26. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Tamari, G., Salim, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S. and Meir, S. (1999). Prevention of floret abscission in Cestrum cut flowers. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 5: 55-57. (In Hebrew).
Meir, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Salim, S., Davidson, H., Tamari, Y. and Gutman, S. (1999). Prevention of floret abscission in Cestrum cut flowers by pulsing treatments with synthetic chlorophenoxy auxins and STS. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 4: 83-89 (In Hebrew).
Philosoph-Hadas, S., Friedman, H., Berkovitz-Simantov, R., Rosenberger, I., Woltering, E.J., Halevy, A.H. and Meir, S. (1999). Involvement of ethylene biosynthesis and action in regulation of the gravitropic response of cut flowers. In: Biology and Biothechnology of the Plant Hormone Ethylene II (A.K. Kanellis, C. Chang, H. Klee, A.B. Bleecker, J.C. Pech and D. Grierson, eds.), pp. 151-156. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Meir, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Salim, S., Tamari, G., Kirshner-Engel, R., Carmeli, A., Sizel, J. and Lavee, A. (2000). Kangaroo paw: development of treatments for preserving the quality of cut flowers. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 3: 49-52. (In Hebrew).
Tamari, G., Salim, S., Vardi, J., Philosoph-Hadas, S. and Meir, S. (2000). Roses: examination of the necessity of STS presence in the pulsing solution and the effect of preservatives and gibberellin on quality of summer cut flowers. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 4: 46-47. (In Hebrew).
Michaeli, R., Riov, J., Philosoph-Hadas, S. and Meir, S. (2001). Chilling-induced leaf abscission of Ixora coccinea plants. III. Enhancement by high light via increased oxidative processes. Physiol. Plant. 113: 338-345.
Philosoph-Hadas, S., Friedman, H., Meir, S., Berkovitz-Simantov, R., Rosenberger, I., Halevy, A.H., Kaufman, P.B., Balk, P. and Woltering E.J. (2001). Gravitropism in cut flower stalks of snapdragon. Advances in Space Research 27(5): 921-932.
Halevy, A.H., Torre, S., Borochov, A., Porat, R., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Meir, S. and Friedman H. (2001). Calcium in regulation of postharvest life of flowers. Acta Hortic. 543: 345-351.
Oren-Shamir, M., Dela, G., Ovadia, R., Nissim-Levi, A., Philosoph-Hadas, S., and Meir, S. (2001). Differentiation between petal blueing and senescence of cut ‘Mercedes’ rose flowers. J. Hortic. Sci. Biothechnol 76(2): 195-200.
Rosenberger, I., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Meir, S., Zuberi, G., Amar, E and Caspi, P. (2001). Limonium: effect of growing conditions in the Arava and postharvest treatments on flower quality of various cultivars. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 9: 43-45. (In Hebrew).
Meir, S., Tamari, G., Salim, S., Tamari, Y. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (2001). Cotinus: new possibilites for improving vase life. Bulletin of Israeli Flower Growers 7: 67-70. (In Hebrew).
Shahak, Y., Lahav, T., Shpigel, E., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Meir, S., Orenshtein, H., Gussakovsky, Y., Ratner, K., Giller, Y., Shaptzisky, S, Zur, N., Rosenberger, I., Gniloyn, R. and Gal, Z. (2002). Growing Aralia and Monstera leaves under colored shading nets. Olam Poreah 13: 60-62. (In Hebrew).
Friedman, H., Vos, J.W., Hepler, P.K., Meir, S., Halevy, A.H. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (2003). The role of actin filaments in the gravitropic response of snapdragon flowering shoots. Planta 216 (6): 1034-1042.
Friedman, H., Meir, S., Halevy, A.H. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (2003). Characterization of the asymmetric growth of gravistimulated snapdragon spikes by stem and cell dimension analyses. Am. J. Bot. 90 (6): 849-856.
Friedman, H., Meir, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S. and Halevy, A.H. (2003). Effect of octanoic acid on ethylene-mediated processes in Arabidopsis. Plant Growth Regulation: 40(3): 239-247.
Friedman, H., Meir, S., Halevy, A.H. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (2003). Inhibition of the gravitropic bending response of flowering shoots by salicylic acid. Plant Science: 165: 905-911.
Philosoph-Hadas, S., Berkovits-Simantov, R., Friedman, H., Meir, S. and Halevy, A.H. (2003). Role of ethylene in modulating auxin action during the gravitropic response of cut snapdragon spikes. In: Biology and Biotechnology of the Plant Hormone Ethylene III (M. Vendrell, H. Klee, J.C. Pech and F. Romojaro, eds.), pp. 311-312. IOS Press, Amsterdam.
Meir, S., Hunter, D.A., Jen-Chih, C. and Reid, M.S. (2003). Molecular study of the acquisition of increased sensitivity to ethylene in the abscission zone in response to removal of the auxin source. In: Biology and Biotechnology of the Plant Hormone Ethylene III (M. Vendrell, H. Klee, J.C. Pech and F. Romojaro, eds.), pp. 284-289. IOS Press, Amsterdam.
Shlomo, E., Salim, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S. and Meir, S. (2003). Euphorbia fulgens: preliminary observations towards development of treatments with preservative solutions and growth regulators for extending vase life. Olam Poreah 23: 50-52 (In Hebrew).
Meir, S., Salim, S., Mor, Y. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (2003). Lisianthus - improving vase life by addition of cytokinin to the recommended pulsing solution. Olam Poreah 29: 44-46 (In Hebrew).
Meir, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Salim, S. and Tamari, G. (2004). Ornamental branches of Pelargonium acerifolium: application of spray treatments with gibberellin and rovral before harvest for extending vase life. Olam Poreah: 31: 46-50. (In Hebrew).
Meir, S., Salim, S. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (2004). Leonotis leonurus: Development of postharvest treatments for cut flowers. Olam Poreah: 34: 56-59. (In Hebrew).
Beno-Mualem, D., Gusev, L., Dvir, O., Pesis, E., Meir, S. and Lichter, A. (2004). The effects of ethylene, methl jasmonate and 1-MCP on abscission of cherry tomatoes from the bunch and expression of endo-1,4-?-glucanases. Plant Sci. 167: 499-507.
Philosoph-Hadas, S., Golan, O., Rosenberger, I., Salim, S., Kochaneck, B. and Meir, S. (2004). Efficiency of 1-MCP in neutralizing ethylene effects in cut flowers and potted plants following simultaneous or sequential application. Acta Hortic. (In press).
Meir, S., Droby, S., Kochaneck, B., Salim, S. and Philosoph-Hadas, S. (2004). Use of methyl jasmonate for suppression of Botrytis rot in various cultivars of cut rose flowers.
Acta Hortic. (In press).

Current Projects

Examination of postharvest treatments and optimal air and sea transport conditions for improving quality and extending vase-life of new cut flowers intended for export.
Peony: Improving cut flowers quality by examining the effects of growth conditions and developing postharvest treatments (integrative project with the regional R & D).
Sea transport of cut flowers: examination of treatments and packing to improve quality and establish protocols for growers.
Development of molecular markers for resistance against Botrytis cinerea in petals of cut rose flowers by characterization of genes induced by methyl jasmonate.
Differential effects of 2,4-D and NAA on floret abscission in red Cestrum (Cestrum elegans Schlecht.) cut flowers.
Isolation and characterization of genes involved in increased tissue sensitivity to ethylene in response to auxin depletion, which are associated with control of leaf abscission in Mirabilis jalapa plants.
Carbohydrate partitioning, invertase activity and sink-source relationship in cut flowers during development and senescence.

Teaching

Physiology of Abscission and Separation - Graguate Course, first semester; at the Faculty of Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot

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