We have investigated the use of different cerium precursors for fabrication of Ce doped ZnO nanorods by electrodeposition. ZnO nanorods fabricated with different Ce precursors had similar morphology, but very different optical properties. The influence of annealing in oxygen at different temperatures on the optical properties of Ce doped ZnO nanorods was also studied. The as-grown samples exhibited very different ratios of ultraviolet to visible (defect) emission. The relative contributions of green and orange-red emissions in the emission spectra of annealed samples were also dependent on the precursor used, indicating that the types and concentrations of native defects were dependent on the precursor used. To explore the possibility of applications of these nanorods in ZnO-based devices, nanorods were also grown on p-GaN substrates. Two different Ce precursors in this case resulted in different current-voltage curves, as well as different electroluminescence and photoluminescence spectra of the devices. Obtained results are discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.