Influence of the Mother Bulb Size on the Growth and Development of Allium ‘Purple Rain’ 1* 1 1 1 Aurelia Elena ROȘCA , Lucia DRAGHIA , Liliana Elena CHELARIU , Maria BRÎNZĂ *)1 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Iasi, Romania Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] BulletinUASVM Horticulture 73(2) / 2016 Print ISSN 1843-5254, Electronic ISSN 1843-5394 DOI:10.15835/buasvmcn-hort:12253 Abstract The experiment aim was Alliumto study the influences of the mother bulb weight on the growth and development, of the plants of ornamental onion. The study was conducted during October 2015 – June 2016 and the biologic material was represented by ‘Purple Rain’. The bulbs were divided in three different weight groups: W1 (15.1-30 g), W2 (5.1-15 g), W3 (< 5 g), which reprezented the three variants (V1, V2, respectively V3). The bulbs were planted in the field and the plants were studied thru biometric determinations. The results were compared with the average of the experiment. The research showed that the analyzed characters (number and length of leaves, number and weight of new formed bulbs, flowers yield, diameter of the inflorescence) were decreasing from V1 to V3 variant. The highest number of the flowering plants (98.9 %) resulted from V1 variant. From V2, bloomed only 20% of the bulbs and from V3 the bulbs have not flourished. The first flowers were obteined from the plants resulted from the biggest bulbs (V1), while the plants from V2 flourished with arround 3 days later and the plants from V3 florished with around 7 days later. The capacity to form new bulbs, expressed in bulb number or bulb weight per plant, was increased with the increasing of the mother bulb weight. The number of leaves per plant and 1 the lengthKeywords of the Allium,leaves werebulb weight,higher forplant V development, compared the other two variants. : INTRODUCTION Allium Alliums Davies (1992), talks about very few buffs of is one Alliumsof the biggest, various, popular ornamental , that has not a good reputation and wide-spread plant gender in the world.Allium For for such a great and various plant gender. a long time the were known mostly as Thus it became very needful to carry out in the vegetables but in the last decades the establishment of a cultivation technology, adapted ornamental species became more and more Alliumto wide areas, where these plants can be grown. popular like garden plant (Fritsch and Friesen, In RomaniaA. paniculatum there are wildlyA. ursinumgrowing many A. 2002). Their plants have a very long decorative saxatile species withA. atroviolaceum important ornamental period, from spring to late summer or even fall, qualities ( L., L., offering various species and cultivars. Because of M. Bieb., Boiss), some Alliumthe high resistance to environmental conditions of them are already presents in the ornamental and so variouset al. color range, the interest for the plants catalogs of the great markets. cut flowers have been increased in last Regarding theseet al. valuable species, in the last period (Szot , 2009). years, various studies have been conducted, in AlliumIn the present, from a commercial point of Romania. Draghia Allium (2010) ursinum carried out researches view, there is a great interest forAlliums, the ornamental on some species of wild flora from the north-east of species and cultivars, in the A. flower giganteum markets, A. Romania, including L., in order to molyall over, A. the sphaerocephalon world. From the first cultivated assess the adaptation capabilityand the possibility of like ornamental, it can be counted introducing them in culture as ornamentals. Mitroi (Davies, 1992; Harding, (2012), conducted a study in order to evaluate the 2004; Kamenetsky and Fritsch, 2002). variability of decorative morphological characters Allium 183 Influence of the Mother Bulb Size on the Growth and Development of ‘Purple Rain’ Allium atroviolaceum of Allium paniculatum, species from the romanian mulched with hay and straw. The experiment was wild flora. Zaharia (2014) emphasizes the possibility organized in randomized blocs design, with2 three of cultivating L. species and its replications. A plot has a surface of 3.00 m and it technologicalAllium scheme. was planted with 30 bulbs. Observations and Concerning the adaptability of some determinationsA. were made by measurements ornamental species from the wild flora, on the main morpho-decorative characteristics it is very important to improve and establish of ‘Purple Rain’ cultivar (number of leaves, the growing schemes for these plants, in the leaves length, inflorescence diameter,number of Romanian area. Regarding the growing technology, flowering plants, number of bulbs per plant and very important is the quality of the planting bulbs weight per plant). To obtain the number of material. So, the aims of this study is to evaluate bulbs per plant and bulbs weight, the bulbs were the importanceAllium of the bulb weight, for the plant harvested, cleaned up, weighing and counted. growth and Alliumornamental hollandicum characters development, The experimental data was processed using for the ‘Purple Rain’ cultivar, obtained from analysis of variance, which established limits the famous (Frish, 2015). The of probability for each weight group of bulbs, importance of the bulb size was shown by various compared with the control (average of experiment studies. Mosleh (2008), shown thatet theal. mother for each character). The significance of the bulb size of edible onions,Allium can moly increase the bulbs differences was assessed by taking into account and seeds yield and Laskowsca (2013) the LSDRESULTS test (Săulescu AND DISCUSSION and Săulescu, 1967). shown that the size of bulbs increased the flowersMATERIALS quality AND and the METHODS bulbs yield. The biometric measurements and the analysed data, shown that the number of leaves The experiment was conducted in the was considerable higher at the plants obtained experimental field of Floriculture discipline, from from the W1 bulbs group (15.1-30 g), respectively University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary V1, and the differences toward the control (average Medicine of Iași, Romania, in the period October of the experiment) were distinctly significant 2015 - July 2016. The soil properties of the top positive, with a difference of 1.19 lives more than 250 mm were determined just before planting. the control (Tab. 2). The V2 (5.1 - 15 g) registred an Analytical results indicated: pH 7,8, humus average value very close to the control, being not content 4.2%, 3% carbonates, 29.5% cation statistically insured. The plants from V3 formed a exchange capacity, 1.08 me/100g complex Na. lower number of leaves (4.42) and the difference Values of elements registered were: 0.22 total N, toward the control was distinctly significant 246 ppm accessible P and 429 ppm accessible K. negative (Tab. 2). Zinc, copper, boron, mangan were 15 ppm, 5,0 The length of leaves was also different between 1 ppm, 0,32 ppm and Allium 51 ppm respectively. the variants, thus from the V the plants developed The material was represented by a cultivar of 55.07 cm long leaves, with 10.52 cm more than the ornamental onion ‘Purple Rain’ whose bulbs control (the experience average), being statistically were planted in field (outside). This is decorative insured. From the W2 bulbs group (V2), the plants thru its deep purple, star shaped flowers, grouped reached 44.11 cm long leaves, less than variant in simple spherical umbels. The leaves are wide, V1 but not statistically insured because of the grown around the stem base. The stem can grow to closeness to the control. The plants of V3 variant about 60-80 cm height. The plants form every year were noted with the shortest leaves (34.48 cm), new bulbs, wich can be separated and replanted. with a difference of 10.07 cm toward the control, This ornamental onion, blossoms betwen april registering significant differences lower then the and june (Fig. 1). average experience (control) (Tab.3). The bulbs were divided in three weight groups The same decrease trend from the V1 to V3 (Tab. 1) and before planting, they were disinfected was observed also concerning new formed bulbs, in Kaptan (1%) and Topsin (0.7%) solutions. studied individualy for each plants from the The bulbs were planted in 20 October 2015 three weight groups. At the V1 variant, the new and during the frosty season the plots was bulbs obtained from everyBulletin plant UASVM haveHorticulture an 73(2)average / 2016 184 et al ROȘCA Fig. 1. Allium ‘Purple Rain’ – general aspect (original photo) Tab. 1. WeightExperimental groups variantsVariants (weight groups)Specification/Graduations W1 V1 15.1-30 g W2 V2 5.1-15 g W3 V3 <5 g weight of 135.74 g, that was a positive distinctly 3 days earlier than V2 and 7 days earlier than V3 , significant result, compared with the control., (fig. 2). From the V2 every plant developed 86.97 g of new The different mother bulb weight, between the bulbs, not statistically insured but better than V3 variants, influenced also the anthesis process, like where were obtained 43.60 g bulbs/plants, which inflorescence development, in this case diameter ensures negative distinct significant differences (cm) and number of flowering plants. The (Tab. 4). flowering capacity is the most important character The daughter bulbs number per plant, also that can establish the quality of the ornamental oscillated between the variants. The most valuable plants and becomes the most important propose result was registered by the plants from the W1 in the process of the cultivation technology group (V1 variant), 6.33 bulbs per plant, with establishment. 29.7% more than the experiment average and The number of flowering plants, calculated positive significant differences. From the other two from the total plants per variant, was considerably weight groups, the results were not statistically different betwen the variants.