Growth regulator treated half corms enhance corm and cormel production in gladiolus

The present study determines the effect of growth regulators treated half corms on corm and cormel production in gladiolus cultivar ‘Punjab Glance’. The experiment employed a randomized block design with three replications during the years of 2020-2023. The experiment comprised of half corms dipped in different treatments control (water), benzyladenine @ 100 and 150 ppm, gibberellic acid @ 500 and 1000 ppm and potassium nitrate @1 and 1.5%. for 24 hours and planted in field at 30 × 20 cm distance on flat beds in 1st week of November. The gibberellic acid at 500 ppm concentration showed significantly highest and earliest sprouting (99.55% within 15.86 days of sowing) followed by potassium nitrate at 1.5% concentration with 98.23% sprouting in 16.54 days compared to control with lowest and delayed sprouting (84.51% within 18.34 days of sowing). However, the highest survival percentage (97.64 and 94.76%) was obtained with potassium nitrate at 1 and 1.5%, whereas benzyl adenine was most inefficient in survival of plants. Corm and cormel production was most enhanced in potassium nitrate at 1% treatment viz. corm yield (33.68 and 32.69 per m²), cormels yield (360.73 and 322.38 per m²), corm weight (24.59 and 19.38 g per plant) and corm size (3.55 and 3.62 cm per plant). Potassium nitrate yielded 70-80% flowering grade corms (3-4 cm), whereas 10-15% were non-flowering grade corms (2-3 cm). Considering corm and cormel yield, half corm soaked in potassium nitrate at 1% for 24 hours was found to be most profitable.