New varieties of paperwhite Narcissus: Florogenesis and forcing requirements

Doron Cohen*, Dorit Ziv, Cornelio Fintea, Aurel Ion, Itzhak Forer, Haim Rabinowitch, Rina Kamenetsky

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Paperwhite Narcissus of the Tazetta group is one of the most important flower crops in Israel, with more then 20 million bulbs exported annually for both dry sales and flower production. Recent releases by The Volcani Center (Agricultural Research Organization) of cvs. 'Ariel' and 'Inbal', require adequate protocols for flowering manipulation and extending blooming prior to December and after January, as is common under ambient conditions in Israel. Flowering physiology, including intrabulb flower development, storage, and forcing methods of the new cultivars, were studied in comparison with cv. 'Ziva'. For September 1 and October 15 planting, bulb storage under ambient conditions (open shed) or at 25 °C was followed by two weeks of chilling at 13 or 9 °C. Post-harvest storage at 25 °C enhanced intrabulb flower differentiation, and pre-planting chilling promoted intrabulb scape elongation, but scapes' final length were shorter then in the control. For January 1 planting, bulbs were kept at 30 °C with a consequent delay in intrabulb flower differentiation. A two-week chilling at 17, 13, or 9 °C resulted in a shorter period from planting to bloom. Early and late plantings resulted in a smaller number of flowers per inflorescence, as compared with planting on October 15. The information presented may serve for devising useful forcing protocols for quality production of N. tazetta flowers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)335-345
Number of pages11
JournalIsrael Journal of Plant Sciences
Volume57
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2009

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