DORMANCY IN BUDS 



241 



Maintaining Gladiolus Corms in the Dormant Condition 



Gladiolus corms can be kept sound and in the dormant condition ^^ for 

 18 months or more, depending upon the variety, by storing the freshly har- 

 vested corms in moist soil at room temperature or preferably at 27° C (80° F) . 

 Corms stored in this condition have a very low rate of respiration ^^- ^^ and 

 consequently use up stored foods very slowly, which permits of long survi- 

 val. When these corms are taken from the soil and placed in respirometers at 

 the storage temperature, the respiration begins to rise within a few hours and 

 reaches a maximum after 20 to 30 hours, after which it gradually falls back 

 to the original low rate. The rise in respiration is 5-fold, 10-fold, 30-fold, 

 or even larger. Such corms may be placed in soil again and continue m the 

 dormant condition for weeks longer, the duration depending upon the 

 state of dormancy and the variety. Corms stored in soil for longer periods, 

 as mentioned above, are in very delicate equilibrium so far as dormancy is 

 concerned. They grow readily when treated ^^'ith ethylene chlorhydrin or 

 after exposure to low temperatures (0° to 5° C, 32° to 41° F), for a few 

 hours.-^ We have already seen that a brief period of chilling various dor- 

 mant seeds in a germinator throws them into active growth. 



Dormancy in Gladiolus Cormels 



Gladiolus cormels are generally more dormant than the corms, and the 

 depth of dormancy increases with decrease in size of the cormels. Treat- 

 ment of cormels of five varieties (Alice Tiplady, America, Halley, Remem- 

 brance, and Souvenir) with ethylene chlorhydrin forces them out of dor- 

 mancy."- -* The greatest forcing action was not immediately after harvest 



FiGiTRE 92. Gladiolus cormels, variety Souvenir, stored at room temperature until 

 January. Left: untreated control. Fight: 100 grams of cormels sealed in a Mason jar 

 with 1.5 cc of 40 per cent ethylene chlorhydrin for four days before planting. 



