Abstract: To extend the preserving time of fresh-cut tree peonies，a compound coating antistaling agent was developed using polyvinyl alcohol，chitosan，citric acid，glycerol，sodium dodecyl sulfate（SDS）and natamycin. Then the‘Luoyanghong’（Paeonia suffruticosa）peonies were processed applying ultraviolet（UV）irradiation and high-pressure electric spraying technology at room temperature 20–25 ℃ with the relative humidity of 68%–86% in order to investigate the effects on the quality and preserving time of fresh-cut tree peonies. The results showed that the method in this study could reduce water loss efficiently，keep the desirable color better，enhance the elasticity and firmness of the fresh-cut peonies significantly，and inhibit the growth of mould and yeast as well. An equation developed through quadratic polynomial stepwise regression was used to obtain the optimum proportion for the ingredients of the compound coating，which were polyvinyl alcohol 35 mg · mL^-1，chitosan 21 mg · mL^-1，natamycin 1.0 mg · mL^-1，SDS 2.1 mg · mL^-1 and citric acid 5.4 mg · mL^-1 respectively. Additionally，the most suitable UV irradiation duration was 20 minutes with the irradiation intensity 90 μW · cm^-2 at wavelength 253.7 nm. In conclusion，the method used here could prolong the vase life of fresh-cut tree peonies to 12 days.

Key words: tree peony, fresh-cut flower, film mulching, ultraviolet