advice, and L.H.W. van der Plas, F.A. Hoekstra, A.A. De Hertogh, H.M.C. van Holsteijn, and K.M. Haymes for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was financially supported by the Urgency Programme for Research on Diseases and Breeding of Flower
Diseases and Breeding of Flower Bulbs. The cost of publishing this paper was defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. Under postal regulations, this paper therefore must be hereby marked advertisement solely to indicate this fact.
Petal opening and senescence of cut Gladiolus, Iris, and Narcissus flowers was significantly inhibited by continuous treatment with 1 mm CHI. Vase life was doubled in individual flowers treated when half-open, and a similar effect was detected after pulsing cut gladiolus spikes with 1 mm CHI for 24 hours. Petal wilting was markedly inhibited in flowers treated with CHI and was confined to the outer 2 to 3 mm of petal margins as opposed to the entire petal in untreated flowers. These effects were not seen, however, in CHI-treated cut tulip flowers, where vase life was significantly reduced. CHI markedly inhibited protein synthesis in Gladiolus `New Rose' florets (a decrease of >60%). Treatment with a potent biocide, DICA, did not increase vase life; therefore, CHI was not prolonging flower longevity by preventing microbial growth in the vase solution. The results indicate that de novo protein synthesis is required for bulb flower development and opening and petal wilting and senescence. Chemical names used: cycloheximide (CHI), sodium dichloroisocyanuric acid (DICA).
determining competency to flower and may affect factors related to crop quality, such as inflorescence size and number of flowers produced per plant ( De Hertogh and Le Nard, 1993 ), but the optimum bulb size for these cultivars has not been determined. The
Narcissus L. `Music Hall', N. `Tahiti', Tulipa L. `Couleur Cardinal', and T. `White Emperor' bulbs were precooled at 5 °C for 0 or 5 weeks and planted 15, 30, or 45 cm deep (from bulb base) into raised ground beds under 0%, 30%, or 60% shade. Plant growth was monitored for two consecutive years after planting. Precooling reduced the percentage of T. `White Emperor' that flowered but did not affect flowering percentage of the other cultivars. Precooling delayed anthesis in one or both years for all cultivars. The greatest percentage of bulbs flowered when planted 15 cm deep and the 45-cm planting depth reduced flowering percentage. Increasing planting depth delayed anthesis for all cultivars. Increasing shade increased stem lengths in one or both years for all cultivars, but did not influence flowering percentage. Perennialization was low for all cultivars regardless of treatment. Cultivar differences in perennialization occurred; in year 2 up to 30% of N. `Tahiti' bulbs flowered vs. 32% for `Music Hall' and up to 30% of T. `White Emperor' bulbs flowered vs. only 22% of `Couleur Cardinal'.
adversely impacting days to flower and flower bud number. Materials and methods On 27 Oct. 2008, 200 25- to 30-cm–circumference ‘Nellie White’ easter lily bulbs were delivered from the Easter Lily Research Foundation (Harbor, OR) to Purdue University in West
bulbs for persistence in warm-season turfgrasses and determine if flowers produced by early-spring bulbs provide appropriate pollen and nectar resources for pollinating insects. Materials and Methods Three field studies were established in Nov. 2015 at
stem emergence (SEM), leaf number, flower number, internode length] can be attributed to factors such as variable temperatures during shipping and rooting, and variable bulb maturity and dormancy across bulb lots and years ( Erwin and Engelen
Flower bulbs provide an important design and color component in the landscape, and are very popular with the gardening public. They are especially valued for their diversity of flower shapes, vibrant colors, sizes, and flowering periods. They are
Spring-flowering bulbs like daffodil ( Narcissus sp.), hyacinth ( Hyacinthus sp.), and crocus ( Crocus sp.) are some of the earliest flowers to appear in gardens each year and are widely planted throughout the world ( Armitage, 2008 ). Many