Effect of time and temperature of storage on vegetative and reproductive growth in Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.)

Tuberose aesthetically and commercially is an important flower that its importance is due to its potential for trade of cut flower, long vase life and essential oil industry. It is cultivated commercially by bulbs is needed to their storing properly after the harvest and quiescence to increase yield and flowering quality so that can be regulated flowering time according to market. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of temperature treatments of 4, 18, 25 and 30°C during 4 and 8 weeks storage and its influence on time and percentage of germination, leaf number and amount of vegetative growth of plantlets, days to emergence, length, diameter and number of inflorescence spike, total number of nodes per inflorescence, days to emergence of first floret, the first floret diameter, length and number of inflorescence and days to harvest. The experiment was carried out as a factorial plot in a complete randomized block design with four replications. All the data was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means separated using the Duncan's Multiple Rang Test. Results revealed that, period of growth and flowering decreased by 25°C and 30°C. Time and percentage of germination as well as vegetative growth in treatment of 4°C specially during 8 weeks was very low (26% and 63 day after planting) and only a little of these plants flowered with low quality. Flowering quality was proper in 25 and 30°C treatments but reduced length of flower spike, florets number and its diameter in treatment of 30°C during 8 weeks. The most length of inflorescent formed in 18 and 25°C treatments (26 & 28.5 cm) and the shortest was related to treatment of 30°C during 8 weeks (18 cm). Different treatments of storage didn’t mark on the total number of nodes. So temperature of 25°C during 4 and 8 weeks is advised as optimal temperature in storage of tuberose bulbs.