Effects of bulb storage, leaf and root pruning, on flower production in Cyrtanthus elatus

摘要

Abstract The effects of combinations of duration of bulb storage, storage temperature, and leaf and root pruning regimes before storage on flower production in Cyrtanthus elatus were studied in three experiments. In the first experiment, bulb viability was 93% after 49 days and declined at 98 and 147 days of storage at 1°C to 3%. Storage at 5°C for 147 days did not affect viability but flowering date was delayed 24 days. In subsequent experiments storage at 5°C did not delay flowering after 50 days, but after 100 days flowering was up to 23 days earlier and produced stems 17–22% shorter. Increasing severity of leaf and root pruning reduced the number of flower stems/bulb 46–60%, but did not affect stem length. With storage at 5°C it may be possible to spread the flowering season.