UV-C (λ=254nm) irradiation was effective in reducing Botrytis cinerea floret specking (i.e., lesion development) and maintaining a better postharvest quality of cut gerbera flowers. A range of UV-C doses (0.5–10.0kJm −2 ) was tested on ‘Ice cream’ and ‘Ecco’ gerbera flowers to activate germicidal and inducible defence mechanisms. Irradiation of B. cinerea cultures with 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0kJm −2 UV-C resulted in up to a 10-fold reduction of conidial germination percentages and significant (P<0.05) delay of mycelium growth, compared to the non-irradiated control cultures. Moreover, lesion diameters on gerbera florets inoculated with UV-C irradiated B. cinerea cultures were reduced by up to 70%, suggesting that UV-C had a negative effect on the pathogenic strength of the fungi. Lesion diameters on florets of UV-C irradiated gerberas were reduced by up to 55% giving evidence that defence responses in the host tissue were induced. Concentration of total phenolics seemed to be unaffected by 0.5kJm −2 UV-C treatment in both cultivars, but polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity increased and remained higher compared to the non-irradiated control flowers throughout the 48h storage period at 20°C. The increase of PPO suggests that this enzyme might play an important role in host defence mechanisms that suppressed B. cinerea floret specking. Gerbera flowers irradiated with 1.0 or 10.0kJm −2 UV-C showed improvement in vase-life by 1.8 and 2.4 d, decrease in stem break percentages by 43 and 29% and delay in stem break incidence by 3.3 and 1.3 d, respectively.