Effect of dormancy breaking substances on corm and cormel characters in gladiolus

The experiment was conducted at the ICAR- Directorate of Floricultural Research, Pune, to investigate the effects of various dormancy-breaking agents on the characteristics of corms and cormels in gladiolus. The treatments included 1.5% potassium nitrate, 2% thiourea, 100 ppm benzylaminopurine (BAP), cold stratification at 4°C, and a control group. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with four replications.The findings indicated that the application of different dormancy-breaking agents at various concentrations significantly influenced the characteristics of corms and cormels. The earliest corm sprouting (30.69 days) and the highest number of active buds per corm (6.68) were observed with the application of 100 ppm BAP. Furthermore, the treatment with 100 ppm BAP resulted in the highest corm (3.06) and cormel yield per plant (10.75). Additionally, BAP at 100 ppm produced the heaviest cormels, with an average weight of 2.86 g. The application of 1.5% potassium nitrate resulted in the largest corm diameter (4.33 cm) and the heaviest corm weight (14.49 g).